JPS63245581A - Writing/reading device for ic card - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify the detection of an inserting state and to prevent the retrogressive ejection of a card by guiding an IC card inserted from a card inserting port in a reader by the use of an elastic member and detecting the pressing and moving of this elastic member by a photosensor. CONSTITUTION:A rail 12 used as a reinforcing rib is provided in the inside of an internal wall parallel to a device main body 1 composed of a synthetic resin, a box shape member having the inserting port 3 for inserting the card 2 is pressed along the rail on a front face and a contact 10 corresponding to an IC circuit is provided on the back face on which the IC circuit is buried. A solenoid 13 incorporating a plunger 13a intersecting orthogonally with the inserting direction of the card 2 is provided in a side opposite to the inserting port 3 and the card 2 is ejected by a member interlocking wit therewith. In this constitution, a card guide plate 16 the same as a substrate floating the elastic member 25 by a notch is laid between the inserting port 3 and the solenoid 13 and the inserting state of the card 2 is detected by the photosensors disposed both the sides of the member 25.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] The present invention relates to an IC card writing/reading device.

[Prior Art] In an IC card writing/reading device, when an IC card is inserted through a card insertion slot provided on the front side, contacts of the IC card and contacts provided inside the device come into contact with each other, and contact is made with the IC card. Information can be written and read through the contacts.

Conventionally, such an IC card writing/reading device has an actuator installed in a card insertion slot, the actuator is moved by inserting an IC card, and the movement of the actuator operates a microswitch to read the IC card.
The card insertion status was detected.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] However, in a device that uses an actuator and a microswitch, the number of parts increases because the actuator is provided separately, and space must be secured for its installation, making assembly difficult. There was a problem. In addition, the actuator and IC card are close to point contact, so the IC
If an attempt is made to automatically eject the card using spring force, there is a risk that the IC card will be ejected too much due to inertia and may fly out of the card insertion slot.

This invention was made in view of these points, and the IC
An IC that can detect the insertion state of the card with a sensor, is easy to assemble, and does not have the risk of the card falling out of the card insertion slot when the IC card is automatically ejected.
The present invention aims to provide a card writing/reading device.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention allows the contacts of the IC card to come into contact with the internal contacts by inserting the IC card into the card insertion slot provided on the front side to a predetermined position. In an IC card writing/reading device that accesses an IC card through each contact to write and read information, it guides the IC card inserted from the card insertion slot and is pressed and moved by surface contact with the IC card. It has an elastic member and an optical sensor that detects the pressing movement of the elastic member and detects the insertion state of the IC card.

[Operation] In the present invention having such a structure, when an IC card is inserted from the card insertion slot, it is guided inside by the elastic member, and at this time, the elastic member is pressed and moved by contact with the IC card. An optical sensor detects the pressing movement of this elastic member to detect the inserted state of the IC card.

[Example] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figures 1 and M2 are perspective views showing the external appearance. Figure 1 shows the state before the IC card 2 is inserted into the device main body 1 made of synthetic resin, and Figure 2 shows the state when the IC card 2 is inserted. Indicates the condition. A front panel 4 having a card insertion slot 3 into which an IC card 2 is inserted is provided at the front of the main body 1 of the apparatus.

The front panel 4 is made of synthetic resin, and, as shown in FIG. 3, is provided with a small hole 5 located on the lower right side of the card insertion slot 3 into which a thin member for operating a lever to be described later is inserted. Further, a flange 6 is formed on the front circumferential side, and serves as a stopper when the device main body 1 is fitted into a separate housing housing an information processing circuit, a power source, etc. Further, a plate part 7 is provided on the upper rear side, and an engaging part 8 is provided on the rear side part, so that when the front panel 4 is fitted into the device main body 1, the plate portion 7 is a part of the top of the device main body 1. At the same time, the engaging portion 8 engages with an engaging protrusion 9 formed on the side of the device main body 1.

The IC card 2 has, for example, eight contacts 1 on the bottom side in the figure.
0 is provided, and each contact 1o is connected to an IC circuit section housed within the card.

The other part of the top of the apparatus main body 1 is closed by a plate-like member 11, and this member 11 is slidable using reinforcing ribs 12 attached as reinforcing members on the inner side of both sides of the apparatus main body 1 as rails. ing.

A card stopper 11a (disclosed in FIG. 9), which will be described later, is formed at the rear end of the plate member 11, and the IC card 2
When the card 2 is inserted from the card insertion slot 3, the rear end of the card 2 comes into contact with the stopper 11a and slides backward. The card stopper 11a also has the function of stopping the plate member 11 from moving forward by engaging the rear end of a card guide plate 16, which will be described later, when the plate member 11 has slid to a predetermined position.

A solenoid 13 is installed horizontally in the rear end of the device main body 1, and the operating direction of the plunger 13a is I.
The direction is perpendicular to the insertion direction of the C card 2.

Note that on both sides of the inside of the card insertion slot 3 of the front panel 4, there are provided notches 14 from which claw portions 19a of a stopper 19b, which will be described later, protrude.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the state when the front panel 4 and the plate-like member 11 are removed, and the plate-like member 11 is always inserted into the device main body 1 under one of the reinforcing ribs 12. A spring 15 is provided to urge the mouth 3 side. That is, one end of this spring 15 is locked to the side surface of the device main body 1, and the other end is locked to, for example, the rear end of the plate member 11.

Also, inside the device main body 1, there is a card guide plate 16 made of synthetic resin, a rotating lever 17, a front movable member 18,
A stopper mechanism 19 for locking the ejection of the IC card 2 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 5, the card guide plate 16 has extending portions 16a formed on both sides so that the front portion forms a substantially U-shape, and a predetermined outer and inner portion is formed at the tip of each extending portion 16a. A rotating shaft 20 that protrudes in length is provided, and the outer part of this rotating shaft 20 is connected to a U-shaped notch 2 provided at the tip of the side wall of the device main body 1.
It is rotatably supported at 1. In addition, the card information board 1
6 is a hole 2 through which eight internal contacts 22 protrude from the rear part.
3 and a hole 24 for rotating the rotating lever 17 by a predetermined angle. Further, the card guide plate 16 has an elastic member 25 which is pressed and pushed downward by the lower surface of the IC card 2 when the IC card 2 is inserted from the card insertion slot 3 inside each extending portion 16a.
is provided protruding from the front. This elastic member 25 has a flat plate shape and is hollow in the center, and a protrusion 25a is formed in the hollow part obliquely upward from the tip toward the rear, and the rear end of the protrusion 25a is tilted downward. The movable portion 25b is formed by bending 7.

The stopper mechanism 19, as shown in FIG.
A stopper 19b is rotatably supported by the rotary wheel 20 protruding inside each extending portion 16a of the card guide plate 16, and has an upwardly directed claw portion 19a at the tip at both ends thereof.
are formed respectively. The rotation of the stopper mechanism 19 allows the claw portion 19a of the stopper 19b to move in and out of the notch 14 provided in the card insertion slot 3.

6 and 7, the card guide plate 16 in FIG. 4 is removed, a part of the stopper mechanism 19 is cut out, and a part of the circuit board 26 placed under the card guide plate 16 is removed. This is a perspective view showing a cutaway state. First and second optical sensors 27 and 28, each having a light emitting element and a light receiving element arranged opposite to each other, are attached to the front part of the circuit board 26. The first optical sensor 27 is located just below the movable part 25b of the elastic member 25, and when the IC card 2 is inserted into the card insertion slot 3 and the elastic member 25 is pushed down, the movable part 25b The optical path from the light emitting element to the light receiving element is blocked by this. That is, the first optical sensor 27 has a function of detecting the insertion state of the IC card 2. In the second optical sensor 28, when the front movable member 18 moves from the state shown in FIG. 7 to the state shown in FIG. It is now blocked.

The rotating lever 1 attached to the rear bottom surface of the device body 1
7, as shown in FIG. 8, one end of two members 17a and 17b is rotatably attached to the shaft 17c provided on the member 17b, and the other end of the member 17a is attached by an opening spring 29 fitted therebetween. is biased counterclockwise, and the other end of the member 17b is biased clockwise. The member 17a has a shaft 17d provided on the lower surface of the substantially central portion thereof, which is pivotally supported on the bottom surface of the device main body 1, and a protrusion 17e projecting upward from a hole 24 provided in the card guide plate 16. There is. A locking protrusion 17f is provided at the lower end of the protrusion 17e toward the inside, and the protrusion 17f
is slidably engaged with a fan-shaped protrusion 30 (disclosed in FIG. 10) formed outward on the bottom surface of the mounting device main body 1, and its upward movement is restricted. On the outside of the projection 17e, a projection 17g (shown in FIG. 11) that slides on a spiral projection 31 (shown in FIG. 5) provided inward at the center of the lower rear end of the card guide plate 16. ) is provided.

Further, the member 17a has protrusions 17h and 17i on the lower surface on the other end side than the shaft 17d.

17j, a return spring 32 is locked between the projection 17h and the rear end of the main body 1, and a spring 3 is locked between the projection 17i and the rear end of the front movable member 18.
3 is locked. Further, the protrusion 17j of the member 17a
is adapted to be locked to the front movable member 18.

The rear end of the card guide plate 16 is constantly pushed upward by a spring 34 whose one end is fixed to the bottom of the main body 1 of the apparatus.

Therefore, in the rotating lever 17, the member 17a is normally biased clockwise by the tensile force of the return spring 32, so that the projection 17e is located at the right end of the hole 24 of the card guide plate 16, and the member 17b is also biased clockwise by the tension of the release spring 32. is deflected clockwise by the spring force of.

Further, due to the clockwise deviation of the member 17H, the front movable member 18 is pushed down rearward by the protrusion 17j, and the spring 33 becomes in an extended state. When the protrusion 17e moves to the right side of the hole 24 of the card guide plate 16, the protrusion 17f is engaged with the fan-shaped protrusion 30 of the device main body 1, and the protrusion 17g is moved to the spiral protrusion 31 provided on the card guide plate 16. Since the upper portion is slid to the left side as shown in FIG. 11, the card guide plate 16 is pushed downward.

The member 17b of the rotating lever 17 is provided with an outwardly directed protrusion 17k, and this protrusion 17k is connected to the plate member 11.
It is adapted to be locked by a locking member 35 provided on the lower side of the rear end.

At the inside right end of the apparatus main body 1, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 13, there is a long lever 36 extending from the tip end to the rear end, with its substantially central portion pivotally supported on the bottom surface of the apparatus main body 1. The rear end of the lever 36 is connected to a pin 37 attached to the plunger 13a of the solenoid 13. Therefore, if the tip of the lever 36 is rotated counterclockwise by inserting a thin rod-like object through the small hole 5, the rear end will also be rotated counterclockwise, and as a result, the plunger 13a of the solenoid 13 will be pushed in. You will be able to do it.

This is when the solenoid 13 is activated and the plunger 13
It will be in the same state as when a was inhaled.

As shown in FIGS. 7, 8, 10, and 11, the front movable member 18 has a long plate-like member 18b extending from the rear end to the tip of the device main body 1. , its member 1
A locking member 18c for locking the rear end of the card guide plate 16 is provided at the rear end of the card guide plate 8b, and a stopper 18c is provided at the tip of the card guide plate 16.
A platform-shaped protrusion 18d is provided which abuts the lower end of 9b, and the above-mentioned shielding plate 18a is erected near the tip.

This shielding plate 18a has a long hole 26 formed in the circuit board 26.
It protrudes upward through a.

Approximately at the center of the circuit board 26 housed in the device main body 1, the internal contacts 22 are provided as shown in FIGS. 9 and 12.
The contact mechanism 38 with the attached is fixed. This contact mechanism 38 has one end side of a contact spring 40 penetratingly supported by a support member 39, and the internal contact 22 is fixed to the other end of the contact spring 40.

The other end of the contact spring 40 contacts the card guide plate 16 with a predetermined pressure, causing the internal contact 22 to protrude upward from the hole 23. Note that the other end of the contact spring 40 is connected to the circuit pattern of the circuit board 26.

In this embodiment having such a configuration, when the IC card 2 is inserted through the card insertion slot 3, the card 2 is guided by the card guide plate 16 and inserted into the interior. At this time, the elastic member 25 comes into surface contact with the IC card 2, the rear end of the protruding portion 25a is pushed down, and the movable portion 25b blocks the optical path of the first optical sensor 27. In this way, first IC card 2
The first sensor 27 detects that the first sensor 27 is inserted. Then, the rear end of the IC card 2 comes into contact with the card stopper 11a provided at the rear end of the plate member 11.
The state shown in the figure will be reached. If the IC card 2 is further inserted in this state, the plate member 11 will slide rearward.

When the locking member 35 of the plate member 11 is locked to the protrusion 17k of the member 17b of the rotating lever 17, the member 17b rotates counterclockwise against the spring force of the release spring 29. . As a result, the member 17a rotates counterclockwise against the spring force of the return spring 32, and the protrusion 17e moves into the hole 2.
It will now move to the left of 4. As the protrusion 17e moves, the protrusion 17g also moves to the left, so that the card guide plate 16 is gradually pushed upward by the spiral protrusion 31.

On the other hand, when the member 17a of the rotating lever 17 rotates counterclockwise, the front movable member 18 tries to move forward due to the tensile force of the spring 33, but the locking member 18c locks the rear end of the card guide plate 16. movement is prevented.

In this way, each contact 10 of the IC card 2 comes into contact with each internal contact 22 protruding from the hole 23 of the card guide plate 16 just before the IC card 2 reaches approximately a predetermined position. When the IC card 2 reaches a predetermined position, the card guide plate 16 rises to the uppermost position, and thereby the locking member 18c of the front movable member 18 comes to be disengaged from the rear end of the card guide plate 16. The front movable member 18 is thus moved forward by the tension of the spring 33, so that the shielding plate 18a reaches the position of the second optical sensor 28. Thus the second optical sensor
28 detects that the IC card 2 has reached a predetermined position, and from then on it becomes possible to write and read information to and from the IC card 2 via the contacts 10 and the internal contacts 22.

Furthermore, as the front movable member 18 moves, the platform protrusion 18d, which had been in contact with the rear side of the lower end of the stopper 19b of the stopper mechanism 19, comes into contact with the front side of the lower end, so that the stopper 19b is moved as shown in FIG. claw part 19
a is pushed upward and locks ejection of the IC card 2.

In this state, the tip of the member 17b of the rotating lever 17 is located inside the bottle 37 attached to the plunger 13a, as shown in FIG. Furthermore, in this state, the card stopper 11a of the plate-like member 11 has come off the rear end of the card guide plate 16, and since the card guide plate 16 is in an elevated position, the inside of the card stopper 11a is behind the card guide plate 16. It is locked at the end to prevent the plate member 11 from moving forward.

Furthermore, when the writing and reading of information to and from the IC card 2 is completed and the IC card 2 is ejected, the solenoid 13
energization is started and the plunger 13a is retracted. As a result, the member 17b of the rotating lever 17 is rotated counterclockwise to release the locked state from the locking member 35.

Thus, the member 17b is rotated clockwise, whereby the member 17a is also rotated clockwise by the tensile force of the return spring 32, and the protrusion 17e moves to the right. Further, when the member 17a rotates clockwise, the front movable member 18 is pushed rearward by the projection 17j. As a result, the shielding plate 18a comes off from the second optical sensor 28, and it is detected that writing to or reading from the IC card 2 is no longer possible.
do.

Subsequently, the platform protrusion 18d moves from the front side of the lower end of the stopper 19b to the rear side, rotates the stopper 19b downward, lowers the claw part 19a, and releases the ejection locked state of the IC card 2. Furthermore, the card guide plate 16 is pushed down by the movement of the protrusion 17e to the right, and the internal contact 22 is moved to the right side.
It comes to move away from the contact point 10 of the C card 2.

Also, the locking member 18c of the front movable member 18 comes off from the rear end of the card guide plate 16. Further, the card stopper 11a of the plate-like member 11 comes off from the rear end of the card guide plate 16, and the plate-like member 11 is pulled forward by the spring 15 and moves forward.
The card 2 is now ejected from the card insertion slot 3. At this time, the plate-like member 11 moves only to the rear end position of the plate portion 7 of the front panel 4, and from then on, the IC card 2 is ejected by inertial force. At this time, since the IC card 2 is in surface contact with the elastic member 25, the inertia force decreases rapidly due to the friction, and there is no risk of the card flying out from the card insertion slot 3. In other words, the IC card 2 is inserted into the card insertion slot 3.
It stops in a moderately protruding state and can be easily removed by pinching it with your fingertips.

When the IC card 2 is removed from the card insertion slot 3, the elastic member 25 returns to its original state, and the first optical sensor 2
The optical path blocking state of No. 7 is released.

In this way, the first optical sensor 27 detects that the IC card 2 is ejected.

In this way, you can check the insertion status of IC card 2.
An elastic member 25 that also serves as an insertion guide and a first optical sensor
27, there is no need to separately provide a separate member such as an actuator, so there is no need to increase the number of parts, and there is no need to consider installation space, making assembly easy.

Furthermore, since the elastic member 25 is in surface contact with the IC card 2, it applies an appropriate frictional force to the IC card 2 when the IC card is ejected due to inertia, and as a result, the
There is no risk that the C card 2 will fly out from the card insertion slot 3.

[Effects of the Invention] As described in detail above, according to the present invention, in a device that can detect the insertion state of an IC card with a sensor, assembly is easy, and when the IC card is automatically ejected, the card is inserted into the card insertion slot. Therefore, it is possible to provide an IC card writing/reading device that does not have the risk of flying out from the IC card.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figures show an embodiment of the present invention; FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of the whole, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the front panel, and FIG. Perspective view, 5th
The figure is an exploded perspective view of the card guide plate and stopper mechanism, and Figures 6 and 7 are perspective views with the front panel, plate-like member, and card guide plate removed, and with parts of the circuit board and stopper mechanism cut away. , FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the rotating lever, FIGS. 9 to 15 are diagrams for explaining the operation of each part, and FIGS. 9, 12, 14, and 15 show the main body of the device and 10 and 13 are plan views with the main body of the device, the front panel and the card guide plate removed, and FIG. It is a sectional view taken along the line A-A in the figure, with some parts omitted. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Device body, 2... IC card, 3... Card insertion slot, 10... IC card contact, 15... Spring, 16... Card guide plate, 22... Inside Contact, 25... Elastic member, 27... First optical sensor
. Applicant's Representative Patent Attorney Takehiko Suzue Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 8 Light 11 Figure F 12 Figure 13

Claims (1)

[Claims] When the IC card is inserted through the card insertion slot provided on the front side and is inserted to a predetermined position, the contacts of the IC card are brought into contact with the internal contacts, and the IC card is accessed through these contacts to write information. In an IC card writing/reading device for reading and guiding an IC card inserted through the card insertion slot, an elastic member is pressed and moved by surface contact with the IC card, and the pressing movement of this elastic member is detected. Shi, I
An IC card writing/reading device comprising an optical sensor that detects the insertion state of a C card.