KR100367291B1 - Apparatus for Separating RF Token - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an RF token classification apparatus that can classify various types of RF tokens into a short time and store them in a separate storage box for each token type.

The RF token sorting device selects a plurality of coin-type contactless IC cards and stores them in any one of a plurality of storage means according to the type of IC card. The temporary storage hopper temporarily stores one IC card, and the reading unit reads the information recorded on the IC card temporarily stored in the temporary storage hopper to determine the type of IC card. The primary shutter temporarily supports the lower end of the temporary storage hopper until the type of IC card is determined by the reading unit, and passes the IC card when the determination is finished. The sorting means supplies the IC card which has passed through the primary shutter to any one of a plurality of storage means according to its type. The sorting means is preferably configured to have a predetermined number of stages connected in series. In each stage, the first gate causes the IC card that has passed through the primary shutter to proceed to any of the plurality of storage means, and the second gate causes the IC card that has passed through the primary shutter to proceed to the next stage.

Description

RF Token Sorting Device {Apparatus for Separating RF Token}

The present invention relates to a sorting apparatus, and more particularly, to a sorting apparatus of a coin type contactless IC card used for payment of transportation means.

Various types of card-type recording media such as magnetic strip cards and IC cards are used as a means of payment for purchasing products. In particular, the contactless IC card is widely used as a means of payment for transportation, and the introduction of the contactless IC card system enables transport companies to facilitate settlement with the card vendor and streamline operation management. Can be.

In a conventional IC card for a bus, a fixed amount of money is initially recorded, and the ride fee is subtracted from the recorded amount of money every time it is recorded. When the recorded amount is almost exhausted, the user pays the charge again at the charging station. By the way, in the conventional IC card, the initial basic charge amount is considerably high, and a low-cost IC card is not known yet. Therefore, a person who does not use the transportation mode frequently or a person who has temporarily visited in another region has an economic burden to purchase an IC card. Therefore, these people will use cash, tokens or other means of payment if they wish to use the transportation. In this case, the transportation company will not have a settlement problem with the token sales company and will not be able to fully utilize the benefits of using the IC card in terms of statistics and operations.

In this regard, the application was filed on December 31, 1997 (Application No. 10-1997-0082256), and was filed on July 26, 1999 (Publication No. 10-1999-61959), as of the filing date of the present application. Publication of a prior patent application (name of the invention: a one-time non-contact IC card reader and its card) under patent affairs and an international application of 15 May 1999 (international application number: PCT / KR99 / 00245 The international publication pamphlet of the international patent application (the name of the invention: RF TOKEN AND READING DEVICE THEREOF), which was published internationally on August 24, 2000 (International Publication No. WO 00/49560), is easy to purchase and carry. A toll payment RF (RF) token and its reading device for use only within three times are described. In this RF token, the coin sheath is made of plastic and has a diameter in the range of 10 to 40 millimeters and a thickness in the range of 1 to 3 millimeters. The inside of the outer shell is a semiconductor chip, and the antenna coil is spirally wound from the contact area of the semiconductor chip.

Such RF tokens are currently in commercial use as of the filing date of the present application. In particular, it is expected that a plurality of token types will be produced and used even if they are used in the same system. For example, in the case of a bus or subway fare collection system, RF tokens such as 'regular ticket', 'discount ticket', 'free ticket', 'test ticket' and 'round ticket' may be used. Each of the plurality of token types may be produced through the same process, and then different data may be recorded only in the data encoding process, or the size or color may be differentiated from the token production stage as well as the encoding process.

However, when heterogeneous RF tokens are used in parallel, the reading and collection device installed at the bus or subway exit is preferably stored in a separate collection box for each token type so that it can be easily re-encoded in the collection. Do. If it is difficult to store tokens by reading and collecting devices, there is a need for a device that can classify and store all tokens collected through multiple collection devices in a short time even at the transport company level.

The present invention has been made to meet the above-described needs, can be employed in the RF token reading and collection device, or can be manufactured separately and used, and the various types of RF tokens to be put in a short time to separate the storage for each token type It is a technical task to provide an RF token classification apparatus that can be stored.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of a preferred embodiment of the RF token classification apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the primary shutter shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

3 is a side view showing the positional relationship of the hopper and the guide rail and the first plate assembly.

4 is a perspective view of the first plate assembly.

5 is a view for explaining the operation of the plate assembly of FIG.

The RF token classification apparatus of the present invention for achieving the above technical problem is to select a plurality of coins type contactless IC card to be stored in any one of a plurality of storage means according to the type of the IC card. The temporary storage hopper temporarily stores one IC card, and the reading unit reads the information recorded on the IC card temporarily stored in the temporary storage hopper to determine the type of IC card. The primary shutter temporarily supports the lower end of the temporary storage hopper until the type of IC card is determined by the reading unit, and passes the IC card when the determination is finished. The sorting means supplies the IC card which has passed through the primary shutter to any one of a plurality of storage means according to its type.

The sorting means is preferably configured to have a predetermined number of stages connected in series. In each stage, the first gate causes the IC card that has passed through the primary shutter to proceed to any of the plurality of storage means, and the second gate causes the IC card that has passed through the primary shutter to proceed to the next stage. The gate selection control means opens one of the first and second gates and closes the other one according to the type of the IC card passing through the primary shutter.

The sorting means preferably includes a guide rail formed to be inclined at a predetermined angle so that the IC card can spontaneously proceed, and the predetermined number of stages are preferably arranged along this guide rail. In this case, the gate selection control means may include a solenoid for moving the first and second gates in a direction perpendicular to the guide rail.

In a preferred embodiment, each of the predetermined number of stages has a first member and a second member. The first member is connected to the solenoid through the movable rotary shaft provided in the transverse direction at the top, and can rotate by the first fixed rotary shaft provided in the transverse direction at the center to rotate according to the force applied by the solenoid, The first gate is formed to extend forward. The second member has a central portion connected to the solenoid through the movable rotary shaft, and can rotate around the second fixed rotary shaft provided in the transverse direction at the upper portion thereof, and the second gate is formed to extend forward in the lower portion.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 1 shows the internal structure of a preferred embodiment of the RF token classification apparatus according to the present invention. The device shown in FIG. 1 is suitable for use in classifying transportation tokens collected through multiple collection devices in a short time by batch processing. The RF token classification device includes a token input unit 10, a token emitter 12, a hopper 14, a token reader 16, a primary shutter 18, a guide rail 19, and first to fourth plates. Assemblies 20, 40, 60, 80, first through fifth transfer passages 90-98 and first through fifth bins 100-108.

The token input unit 10 is used to load tokens to be classified. The token emitter 12 supplies the tokens loaded in the token injector 10 sequentially to the hopper 14 below one by one. At this time, the token supplied to the hopper 14 is transferred to the lower end of the hopper 14 along the inclined surface of the hopper 14. The token reading unit 16 includes an antenna and a signal processing circuit. The token reading unit 16 receives an RF signal radiated from the RF token transferred to the bottom of the hopper 14, decodes it, and determines the type of token loaded in the hopper 14. do. The primary shutter 18 is movable back and forth, and supports the token loaded in the hopper 14 from below until the token reader 16 completes the determination of the token type. Once the determination of the token type is complete, the primary shutter 18 moves back to allow the token loaded in the hopper 14 to fall onto the guide rail 19 below.

The guide rail 19 is a member with a narrow spaced slit extending from the lower end of the hopper 14 to the lower left. The first to fourth plate assemblies 20, 40, 60, and 80 are disposed at the rear of the guide rail 19. Each of the first to fourth plate assemblies 20, 40, 60, and 80 may selectively block a slit formed below the guide rail 19 to support a token passing through the guide rail 19. 24, 44, 64, 84). In addition, each of the first to fourth plate assemblies 20, 40, 60, 80 includes side shutters 24, 44, 64, 84 that can selectively block token flow within the guide rail 19. . To this end, the guide rail 19 is formed with slits in the front-rear direction so that the side shutters 24, 44, 64, 84 can be inserted. In accordance with the operation of the four lower shutters 22, 42, 62, 82 and the four side shutters 32, 52, 72, 92, the token entering the guide rail 19 is divided into first to fifth transfer passages ( 90, 92, 94, 96, and 98 fall into any one of the first to fifth storage bins (100-108). In this case, the collection box sensors 91, 93, 95, 97, and 99 installed at the lower ends of the first to fifth transfer passages 90, 92, 94, 96, and 98 respectively may include the first to fifth transfer passages 90. , 92, 94, 96, 98 detects whether the coin is properly put into the first to fifth storage bins (100-108) and informs the microcontroller (not shown).

FIG. 2 specifically shows the primary shutter 18 shown in FIG. 1. The primary shutter 18 is in the form of a 'dish' or 'C' type, one point of the center of which is connected to the hinge 18b and one end of which is connected to the solenoid 18c via the linker 18b. . In the normal state, the primary shutter 18 is located below the hopper 14, and thus can support the token 1 loaded in the hopper 14 from below. In this state, when the token reading unit 16 completes the determination of the token type, the plunger 18d of the solenoid 18c is shifted backward and the primary shutter 18 is rotated counterclockwise. Accordingly, the token loaded on the hopper 14 falls down to reach the guide rail 19. After the solenoid plunger 18d is shifted backwards and the token 1 passes through any of the bin sensors 91, 93, 95, 97, 99 shown in FIG. 1, the solenoid plunger 18d again moves forward. Will return to.

3 specifically illustrates the positional relationship of the hopper 14, the guide rail 19, and the first plate assembly 20. As shown, the front panel of the hopper 14 is inclined to the rear, and the front lower end is equipped with the token reading unit 16. The guide rail 19 is located below the hopper 14 with the primary shutter 18 in between. In addition, the first plate assembly 20 is disposed at the rear of the hopper 14 and the guide rail 19. The first plate assembly 20 has a first plate 22 comprising a lower shutter 24 and a second plate 30 comprising a side shutter 32 and are driven by a solenoid 36 to guide. The path of the token passing through the rail 19 is determined.

4 is a perspective view of the first plate assembly 20. As described above, the first plate assembly 20 has a first plate 22 and a second plate 30, and a solenoid 36.

The first plate 22 has a main body surface 22a arranged in parallel with the guide rail 19, and a left side surface 22b and a right surface 22c which are bent forwards at the left and right ends of the main body surface 22a, respectively. ). In addition, the lower part of the first plate 22 is also bent forward, and this bent part acts as the lower shutter 24. The left side 22b and the right side 22c are connected to each other by two rotary shafts 26 and 28, the first rotary shaft 26 being connected to the solenoid plunger 38 via a link member 39 and the second rotary shaft 26. Both ends of 28 are fixed to the main body of the sorting device by brackets 34a and 34b.

On the other hand, the second plate 30 includes a support surface 30a which is disposed in parallel with the guide rail 19 and a connection surface 30b that is bent forward from the right end of the support surface 30a to be continuous. . The lower part of the connection surface 30b protrudes more toward the front than the upper side, and this projection part acts as the side shutter 32. As shown in FIG. The first rotating shaft 26 is connected to one side of the connecting surface 30b and a hinge 29 is installed at an upper end thereof. The hinge 29 is fixed to the main body of the sorting device by a bracket 34c.

The first plate assembly 20 operates as follows. Referring to FIG. 5, the plunger 38 is in an extended state when no voltage is applied to the solenoid 36. At this time, the first and second plates 22 and 30 are arranged in the vertical direction, and this state is indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 5. Here, the lower shutter 24a at the bottom of the first plate 22 is separated from the lower side of the guide rail 19, and the side shutter 32a at the bottom of the second plate 30 is the first plate assembly ( It blocks the downstream of the part of the guide rail 19 which opposes 20). Accordingly, the RF token entering the portion of the guide rail 19 facing the first plate assembly 20 no longer proceeds downstream but falls downward.

On the other hand, when a voltage is applied to the solenoid 36, the solenoid plunger 38 is compressed. The first and second plates 22, 30 in this state are indicated by solid lines in FIG. Specifically, as the solenoid plunger 38 is compressed, the first rotational axis is pulled from the point 26a to the point 26b rearward by the link member 39. At this time, the first plate 22 rotates in a clockwise direction about the second rotation shaft 28, and thus the lower shutter 24 moves downward of the guide rail 19. On the other hand, the second plate 30 is rotated counterclockwise around the hinge 29, so that the side shutter is separated from the guide rail (19). Therefore, in such a state, the RF token entering the portion of the guide rail 19 facing the first plate assembly 20 is not disturbed by the side shutter 32b while being supported downward by the lower shutter 24b. No, it goes downstream.

As such, one of the lower shutter 24b and the side shutter 32b opens one of two travel paths of the RF token and the other closes the other travel path according to the action of the solenoid 36. In FIG. 1, the configuration and operation of the second to fourth plate assemblies 40, 60, and 80 are the same as those of the first plate assembly 20, and thus description thereof will be omitted.

Hereinafter, the general operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

When the user loads the tokens to be sorted in the token input unit 10 and then operates the apparatus of the apparatus, the tokens loaded in the token input unit 10 are sequentially lowered by the token emitter 12 one by one. 14 is supplied. The token reading unit 16 receives the RF signal emitted from the RF token loaded at the bottom of the hopper 14, decodes it, and determines the type of the token loaded on the hopper 14. Once the token type is determined, the token reader 16 supplies a control signal to the solenoid 18c driving the primary shutter 18 to drive the RF token to the guide rail 19. In addition, the token reading unit 16 supplies a control signal to the solenoids of the first to fourth plate assemblies 20, 40, 60, and 80 according to the token type.

The progress direction of the RF token is determined according to a control signal supplied to each of the solenoids of the first to fourth plate assemblies 20, 40, 60, and 80. Table 1 summarizes the progress direction of the RF token according to the on / off of the solenoid of the first to fourth plate assembly (20, 40, 60, 80).

1st assembly solenoid 2nd assembly solenoid 3rd assembly solenoid 4th assembly solenoid Path of RF Token off - - - 1st bin On off - - 2nd bin On On off - 3rd bin On On On off 4th bin On On On On 5th bin

If the solenoid of the first plate assembly 20 is turned off, the lower shutter 24a of the first plate assembly 20 is guide rail 19 regardless of the solenoid state of the other plate assemblies 40, 60, 80. The side shutter 32a at the bottom of the second plate 30 blocks the downstream of the guide rail portion facing the first plate assembly 20. Accordingly, the RF token no longer proceeds downstream and falls downward and is stored in the first storage box 100 through the first transport passage 90.

On the other hand, if the solenoid of the first plate assembly 20 is turned on and the solenoid of the second plate assembly 40 is turned off, the RF token passes through the guide rail portion facing the first plate assembly 20. Thereafter, the guide rail is dropped downward from the guide rail portion facing the second plate assembly 40 and stored in the second storage box 102 through the second transfer passage 92. If the solenoids of the first to fourth plate assemblies 20, 40, 60, and 80 are all turned on, the RF token is supported downward by the lower shutter in the guide rail portion opposite the respective plate assemblies. Proceed downstream without being disturbed by the side shutters. In this case, the RF token is stored in the fifth bin 108 via the fifth transfer path 98.

The above description illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto and may be variously modified. For example, in the above description, it is assumed that there are five types of RF tokens used in the system. However, in another application of the present invention, the types of RF tokens may be different, and in this case, the number of plate assemblies may be easily adapted. There is a number.

In addition, although the above embodiment is suitable for being used to classify tokens collected through a plurality of collection devices at a transport company headquarters in a short time by batch processing, such devices may be utilized individually at the exit of a bus or subway. In particular, when the device of the present invention is utilized individually at each gate as described above, a token input unit 10 for simultaneously injecting a plurality of tokens, or a token ejector 12 for supplying a plurality of tokens sequentially to the hopper. ) May be omitted. In this case, at least one of the bins may be a discharge hopper for discharging the bad token to the outside.

As described above, it is possible to classify and store various types of RF tokens to be input through different transfer paths in a short time. As a result, it is possible to automate the sorting operation for re-encoding and reusing the RF token used for the article and greatly reducing the time required for classification.

Claims (5)

A coin type contactless IC card sorting apparatus for selecting a plurality of coins type contactless IC card and storing the same in a plurality of storage means according to the type of IC card, A temporary storage hopper for temporarily storing the IC card; A reading unit which reads the information recorded on the IC card temporarily stored in the temporary storage hopper and determines the type of the IC card; A primary shutter that temporarily supports a lower end of the temporary storage hopper until the type of the IC card is determined by the reading unit, and passes the IC card when the determination is finished; And Sorting means for supplying the IC card which has passed through the primary shutter to any one of the plurality of storage means according to its type; Coin-type contactless IC card sorting device having a. The method of claim 1, The sorting means has a predetermined number of stages connected in series, Each of the predetermined number of stages A first gate configured to advance the IC card passing through the primary shutter to any one of the plurality of storage means; A second gate through which the IC card has passed through the primary shutter to a next stage; And Gate selection control means for opening one of the first and second gates and closing the other one according to a type of the IC card passing through the primary shutter; Coin-type contactless IC card sorting device comprising a. The method of claim 2, The sorting means includes a guide rail formed to be inclined at a predetermined angle to allow the IC card to proceed spontaneously, The predetermined number of stages are disposed along the guide rail, The gate selection control means is coin-type contactless IC card sorting apparatus including a solenoid for moving the first and second gate in a direction perpendicular to the guide rail The method of claim 3, wherein each of the predetermined number of stages It is connected to the solenoid through a movable rotary shaft provided in the transverse direction at the top, can be rotated by a first fixed rotation shaft provided in the transverse direction in the center portion to rotate in accordance with the force applied by the solenoid, the lower portion A first member having a first gate extending in a forward direction; And A second member having a central portion connected to the solenoid through the movable rotation shaft, and capable of rotating about a second fixed rotation shaft provided in a transverse direction at an upper portion thereof, and having the second gate extending forward in a lower portion thereof; ; Coin-type contactless IC card sorting device comprising a. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, An injection unit capable of storing a plurality of IC cards; And A selection unit for supplying IC cards stored in the injection unit one by one to the temporary storage hopper sequentially; Coin-type contactless IC card sorting device further comprising.