KR100536278B1 - Medium handling equipment for dealings - Google Patents

Abstract

In an apparatus for handling a trading medium such as an account book, information is read from a plurality of types of trading media having different positions and directions in which the information is recorded.

A handling apparatus is provided with a conveying mechanism for conveying a bankbook and a moving mechanism for moving a magnetic head for reading information of a magnetic stripe. When a bankbook whose magnetic stripe attachment position is unknown is inserted, the handling device scans the magnetic head relatively obliquely to the bankbook by moving the magnetic head while conveying the bankbook. In the magnetic head, an output according to the attachment position of the magnetic stripe can be obtained. The position and direction of the magnetic stripe can be specified according to the detection time and the amplitude of the output from the start of the scan until the output can be obtained.

Description

Medium handling equipment for dealings}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a trading medium handling apparatus that handles bankbooks and other trading media, and more particularly, to a trading medium handling apparatus capable of reading information from a plurality of types of trading media.

ATMs are used in financial institutions and the like to deposit and withdraw money from users. In transactions using an account, the ATM reads the necessary information from the magnetic stripe attached to the account. The position of the magnetic stripe attached to the bankbook varies depending on the financial institution. In recent years, mergers and affiliations of financial institutions have progressed, and there is a demand for ATMs in which a plurality of bankbooks with different positions of magnetic stripes can be traded.

As a technique regarding reading of information in a plurality of types of bankbooks, the technique of Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 8-7206 is mentioned, for example. In this technique, by installing a mechanism capable of rotating the magnetic head by 90 degrees, reading of the vertical magnetic stripe attached along the conveyance direction of the bankbook and reading of the horizontal magnetic stripe attached to the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction is performed. To realize. The direction of the magnetic stripe of the inserted bankbook is determined by scanning the magnetic head before reading the information.

In the above-mentioned prior art, it is necessary to perform two scans for detecting a position for a horizontal magnetic stripe and a scan for detecting a position for a horizontal magnetic stripe. Was in need. In addition, when discriminating two types of horizontal or vertical bankbooks in which magnetic stripe attachment positions are relatively close to each other, there have been some cases of poor discrimination due to a position error at the time of conveying the bankbook.

These problems are not limited to the account book, but may occur in the same way when dealing with a plurality of types of transactional media having different information recording positions and recording directions. Moreover, it is a common problem not only to magnetic stripe but also when information is recorded invisibly. An object of the present invention is to solve these problems and to determine the recording position of the information, the recording direction in a short time, and to improve the accuracy of the determination in the apparatus for handling a transaction medium.

In order to solve at least a part of the above problems, in the present invention, the following configuration is applied to a trading medium handling apparatus that handles a plurality of types of trading mediums. The trading medium is a medium used for transactions in financial institutions and the like, and includes, for example, an account book, a cash card, a transfer card, and another authentication card. In the transaction medium to be handled by the present invention, information is recorded invisibly by a magnetic or optical method, and at the same time, the recording position and the recording direction of the information differ depending on the type.

The first trading medium handling apparatus of the present invention has a reading head for reading information and a scanning mechanism for scanning a reading head relative to the trading medium. The scanning mechanism is capable of scanning in a direction intersecting any recording direction while passing through at least a part of each recording position of the trading medium to be handled. By such a mechanism, the trading medium is scanned in the read head, and the type of trading medium is recognized based on the output of the reading head at the time of scanning. In this way, since the recording position and the recording direction of the information can be discriminated by one scan, the processing time for discrimination can be shortened.

In the first transaction medium handling apparatus, the scanning mechanism includes a conveyance mechanism for conveying a transaction medium, a moving mechanism for moving the read head relative to the transaction medium in a direction crossing the direction of conveyance, and the conveyance mechanism. And a scan control unit for driving the moving mechanism together to realize a scan. The scan can be realized in the present invention without installing a scan-only mechanism.

In the first trading medium handling apparatus, the scanning mechanism may be a mechanism for continuously moving the read head in one direction or may be a mechanism for switching the movement direction during scanning. In the case where the scanning mechanism includes the above-described conveying mechanism and moving mechanism, both of them can be driven at the same time so that the scanning mechanism can be continuously scanned in a direction inclined with respect to the conveying direction. The read head can be scanned in a step shape by mutually driving the conveyance mechanism and the moving mechanism or simply driving either one. The continuous scan can shorten the processing time. According to the scan along the change of the moving direction, the scanning direction can be switched in a direction suitable for detecting the recording position of the information in accordance with the portion of the trading medium, and the detection accuracy can be improved.

The determination of the type of trading medium can adopt various methods. For example, at least one of the time and the moving distance from the start of the scan until the output of the read head is obtained may be prepared in advance in correspondence with the type of trading medium, and the method of determining the type may be taken with reference to this.

The read head may have directivity such as a magnetic head. In the case of using a read head having directivity, for example, the recording direction of information may be determined based on the size of the output of the head. Since the direction of scanning intersects the direction of recording of information, there is a difference in the sensitivity of the read head and further its output depending on the direction of recording of information, so that the direction of recording of information can be determined based on the size of the output. This makes it possible to determine not only the recording position of the information but also the recording direction of the information to accurately determine the type of the trading medium.

Since the direction of scanning intersects with the direction of recording of information, there is a concern that the recording position of information may not be detected depending on the sensitivity of the directional read head. In such a case, when the recording position of the information cannot be detected by the first scan, the read head may be rotated so that the direction in which the sensitivity is high is changed, and the scan may be performed again. In this case, the read head is preferably rotated 90 degrees.

In the case of the directional read head, the read head may be rotated in advance so as to increase the sensitivity in the direction along the scan direction. For example, when driving a conveyance mechanism and a moving mechanism simultaneously and scanning in the direction inclined with respect to a conveyance direction, it is preferable to make a reading head face the same inclination direction. By doing this, the possibility of detecting the recording position of the information in one scan is improved.

Moreover, you may scan using the carriage provided with the some read head arrange | positioned so that the direction which a sensitivity may increase may differ. As an example, a read head provided to increase the sensitivity in the conveying direction and a read head provided to increase the sensitivity in the moving direction by the moving mechanism can be used. The direction of both read heads is preferably shifted by 90 degrees. By doing this, the possibility of detecting the recording position of the information in one scan is improved.

In the second transactional medium handling apparatus of the present invention, in order to read information, a plurality of read heads are provided corresponding to each recording position. The plurality of read heads scan the recording position of the information on the transaction medium, and recognize the type of the transaction medium based on the output of the plurality of read heads at the time of scanning. According to the type of trading medium, the output can be obtained only by the read head corresponding to the recording position of the information, so that the type can be determined. In this way, by using a plurality of read heads together, the processing time for discrimination can be shortened.

In the second transactional medium handling apparatus, a read head is provided corresponding to each recording position. Therefore, each read head may not only scan the recording position of the information but also read the recorded information itself. This eliminates the need to read information again after determining the type, so that the processing can be shortened.

In the second transactional medium handling apparatus, when the conveying mechanism of the transactional medium is provided, it is preferable to treat the transactional medium in which information is recorded along the conveying direction. In this case, since it is enough to fix the plurality of read heads in the direction crossing the conveying direction, there is an advantage in that the attachment becomes easy.

In this case, each of the read heads may be divided into a king group which reads information at the time of returning the trading medium and a group which reads information at the time of returning the transaction medium. In the case where time is taken for processing the output from a plurality of read heads, the load of the processing can be reduced by dividing into two groups in this way. It is preferable that the number of poison heads is smaller than that of the king group. By doing in this way, the possibility of discriminating the type of a transaction medium at the time of the high-speed transfer becomes high, and it is possible to shorten the processing time by omitting the return transfer.

In the third transactional medium handling apparatus of the present invention, a read head for reading information is used, and at least part of the information is read for each recording position. Then, the type of transaction medium is recognized based on both the position where the information was read and the read information. Since the content and format of the recorded information are different from the other types of trading media, it is possible to accurately determine the type by considering not only the information reading position but also the read information.

The type of transaction medium can be prepared in advance by, for example, preparing a table in which the record contents of the information or the record format and the type correspond to each other. In order to facilitate referencing the table, reading of the information at each recording position is preferably constant.

The third trading medium handling device needs to scan the read head to read at least some of the information. As described above, as described above, it is preferable to switch the moving direction during the scan, such as scanning the read head in a step shape. It is also possible to use a plurality of read heads corresponding to the recording positions of the information. In the case of using a plurality of heads together, it is possible to unify the place of reading the information for each trading medium, which makes it easy to determine the type of trading medium based on the contents of the information. .

The present invention can be configured in various ways. For example, the present invention may be configured as a device in which the above-described first to third trading medium handling apparatuses are appropriately combined. Moreover, you may comprise as an automatic transaction apparatus provided with the transaction medium handling apparatus mentioned above. The method described above may be configured as an information reading method for recognizing the recording position and the recording direction of the information, or may be configured as a control method for controlling the transaction medium handling apparatus to realize such recognition. It may also be configured as a computer program for realizing this control by a computer and a recording medium recording the same. The storage medium may be a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD, a magneto-optical disk, an IC card, a ROM cartridge, a printed matter printed with a code such as a punch card, a barcode, a computer internal storage device (memory such as RAM or ROM), and an external device. Various media that can be read by a computer such as a memory device can be used.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order.

A. Device Configuration:

B. Determination of Passbook Type:

C. Magnetic Stripe Reading:

D1. Modification (1):

D2. Modification (2):

E. Second Embodiment

A. Device Configuration:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the bankbook handling apparatus as an Example. Side cross section is shown. The bankbook handling apparatus 100 is a device that reads information in the bankbook, writes in the bankbook, and the like at the time of a transaction in the bank. The bankbook handling apparatus 100 may be configured as a device incorporated in an ATM or the like, or may be configured as a single device. In the present embodiment, an example of a device capable of handling both a slip and a bankbook such as an account transfer paper may be configured as a device that can handle only a bankbook.

The bankbook handling apparatus 100 is provided with an insertion port for inserting a bankbook and an insertion port for inserting a slip on the left side of the figure. For convenience of explanation, the side (the left side of the figure) in which these insertion holes are provided is called the front side or the upstream of the apparatus, and the side opposite to it (the right side of the figure) is called inside or downstream. Moreover, about conveyance, such as a bankbook, conveyance to the inside which conveys inwardly from an insertion opening, and conveyance to the direction which discharge | emits to an insertion opening shall be called a cyclic conveyance.

The conveyance path 101 for conveying a bankbook and the conveyance path 102 for conveying a slip are provided in the apparatus. These conveyance paths join on the way and become the conveyance path 103. The passbook and the slip are conveyed by the roller 104 driven by the motor 106 to the conveyance paths 101-103. The pass sensor 105 for detecting the passage of a bankbook and a slip is provided in the middle of conveyance paths 101-103. In order to avoid the hassle of the figures, reference numerals are representatively shown for only one roller and a pass sensor.

In the conveyance path 102 of the slip, an attitude correction mechanism 130 for correcting skew and shift of the slip is provided in the vicinity of the insertion port. The image reader 131 is provided on the downstream side of the posture correction mechanism 130, and optically reads characters written on the slips.

The magnetic reading mechanism 160 is provided at the joining points of the conveying paths 101 and 102. The magnetic reading mechanism 160 is a mechanism for reading information from the magnetic stripe attached to the bankbook. In this embodiment, a plurality of types of bankbooks having different attachment positions of the magnetic stripes can be read. The structure of the self-reading mechanism 160 is described later.

Downstream of the self-reading mechanism 160, various mechanisms for processing an account and a slip are provided. The print head 133 prints the transaction result and the like on the account book and the slip. The ribbon winding mechanism 132 is a mechanism for winding the ink ribbon used by the print head 133. The drive mechanism 134 is a mechanism which drives the printing head 133 up and down by the power of the motor 135 at the time of printing.

The print position detection sensor 136 is a sensor that optically detects a portion already written in the bank account. The page turning mechanism 137 is a mechanism for turning over a bankbook page when it is detected that no blank entry column remains in the page.

The control unit 110 is configured as a microcomputer having a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM therein. The control unit 110 controls each of the households described above or processes the read information according to the software recorded in the ROM.

2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the self-reading mechanism 160. The top view from above and the side cross-sectional view from below are shown. The passbook PB is conveyed by the roller 104 between 101L of upper surfaces of 101U of conveyance paths. On both sides of the lower surface 101L, guides 101G for correcting shift and skew of the bank account are provided. On the conveyance path, an entry sensor 162 is provided for optically detecting the entry of an account.

The information of the magnetic stripe is read by the magnetic head 171. The magnetic head 171 is mounted on the carriage 170. The carriage 170 can reciprocate in the direction shown by the arrow along the sliding shaft 163 provided in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. In order to control the position of the carriage 170, the reciprocation of the carriage 170 is preferably driven by a stepping motor. The stereotactic sensor 164 is a sensor for detecting that the carriage 170 is located at the end. The position of the carriage 170 at each point in time during the movement is controlled based on the position detected by the positioning sensor 164.

A mechanism for driving the magnetic head 171 up and down is provided in the carriage 170. When the solenoid 173 is driven, the magnetic head 171 moves up and down through the link 174. The magnetic head 171 is usually retracted from the lower position, and moved to the upper position so that the magnetic head 171 is pressed by the bankbook when reading information.

The magnetic head 171 has directivity in the reading direction of the information. In the state shown by the solid line along the way, the sensitivity to the conveyance direction of the bankbook increases. Therefore, it is suitable for reading information of a magnetic stripe (hereinafter referred to as a vertical type) attached along the conveyance direction of the bankbook. In this sense, the direction of the magnetic head 171 shown in solid line will be referred to as a vertical position. In the state shown by the broken line, the sensitivity with respect to the moving direction of the carriage 170 becomes high. Therefore, it is suitable for reading information of a magnetic stripe (hereinafter referred to as a horizontal type) attached along the moving direction of the carriage 170. In this sense, the direction of the magnetic head 171 shown in solid line will be referred to as a horizontal position. In the embodiment, since a plurality of types of bankbooks including both a vertical type and a horizontal type can be handled, the magnetic head 171 is rotatably axially rotatable in the vertical position and the horizontal position on the carriage 170.

3 is a configuration diagram of an output processing system of the magnetic head 171. The information is recorded along the magnetic stripe MS. At the distal end of the magnetic head 171, a lead core 171m for reading magnetism is provided. When the magnetic head 171 is scanned along the magnetic stripe MS, the signal SIG shown in the middle is output from the lead core 171m. The control unit 110 amplifies this signal by the amplifier 111, converts it into a digital signal by the A / D converter 112, and stores it in the memory 113.

B. Determination of Passbook Type:

4 is an explanatory diagram showing a principle of discrimination of a bankbook type. As described above, the bankbook handling apparatus 100 may be urgent for a plurality of bankbooks having different attachment positions of magnetic stripes. The bankbook handling apparatus 100 automatically detects the attachment position of the magnetic stripe by the principle shown in FIG.

When the entrance sensor 162 detects the insertion of the bankbook PB, the bankbook handling apparatus 100 starts the movement of the magnetic head 171 while conveying the bankbook PB (time t1). The magnetic head 171 is set in advance in the horizontal position. By using the conveyance of the bankbook PB and the movement of the magnetic head 171 together, the magnetic head 171 scans the bankbook PB obliquely as shown at time t2 and time t3. .

The locus of the magnetic head 171 on the bank account is shown in the upper right of the figure. When the horizontal magnetic stripe M1 is attached to the bankbook PB, a signal is output from the magnetic head 171 at time t3. The signal need not be capable of recognizing the information recorded on the magnetic stripe M1, and may be any signal as long as the existence of the magnetic stripe M1 can be confirmed. The output from the magnetic stripe is illustrated on the way. Since the time from the start of the movement of the magnetic head 171 until the output can be obtained (hereinafter referred to as a detection time) dt depends on the magnetic stripe attachment position, the magnetic stripe depends on the detection time dt. The attachment position of can be specified.

Depending on the kind of bankbook, the detection time dt may be the same as the horizontal magnetic stripe M1 and the vertical cut stripe M2. The difference in the direction of the magnetic stripe can be determined by the magnitude of the output from the magnetic head 171. As shown, when the magnetic head 171 is in the horizontal position, the amplitude A1 of the output to the horizontal magnetic stripe M1 is the output to the vertical magnetic stripe M2 due to the directivity of the head. It becomes larger than the amplitude A2 of. Therefore, for example, the vertical / horizontal type can be discriminated based on the magnitude relationship between the threshold value preset between the amplitude A1 and the amplitude A2 and the amplitude obtained in reality.

In the example of FIG. 4, the scan is continuously performed in the inclined direction, but the trajectory of the scan can be set in various ways. For example, the transfer of the bankbook and the movement of the magnetic head 171 may be performed in a stepwise manner along the position of the magnetic stripe attached to the bankbook to be handled. By scanning the magnetic head in the horizontal position in a stepped shape, it is possible to improve the detection sensitivity of the magnetic stripe when moving in the left and right directions. As described above, the stepped scan has an advantage of including a scan in a direction in which the magnetic head has a high sensitivity.

5 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 110. The control unit 110 has various functional blocks for controlling each part of the bankbook handling apparatus 100, but based on the above-described principle, the control unit 110 determines the bankbook and then reads the information in the bankbook. Shown. In this embodiment, these functional blocks are implemented in software by a computer program recorded in a ROM. Each functional block may be configured in hardware.

Each functional block operates under synchronization under the control of the main controller 120. The conveyance control part 121 controls the operation | movement of conveyance mechanisms, such as the roller 104, and conveys a bankbook etc. The magnetic head driving controller 123 controls the movement of the carriage 170 and the reading of the signal from the magnetic head 171. These functional blocks move the magnetic head 171 relative to the bankbook by the inclined trajectory shown in Fig. 4 when instructing discrimination of the bankbook type. After the bankbook type is determined, when the magnetic stripe is read, the magnetic head 171 is moved relative to the bankbook by the trajectory in the conveying direction or in a direction orthogonal thereto.

The bankbook type determination unit 124 determines the type of bankbook based on the principle of FIG. 4. The decision condition storage section 125 is referred to this decision. The contents of the determination condition storage unit 125 are illustrated on the way. Here, as shown in the lower part of the figure, it is said that five types of bankbooks of A-E which differ in the attachment position and direction of a magnetic stripe are handled. In the determination condition storage section 125, the detection time and the signal strength are stored in advance for these five types. The detection time is stored for each of the cases of scanning from the upper left to the lower right (arrow LR in the figure) and the scanning from the lower right to the upper left (arrow RL in the figure). In the bankbook C having the vertical magnetic stripe and the bankbook D having the horizontal magnetic stripe, the detection time is the same. The signal strength is weak in the vertical banks A through C and strong in the horizontal banks D and E.

The magnetic stripe read control unit 122 outputs an instruction to read the magnetic stripe to the transfer control unit 121 and the magnetic head drive control unit 123 in accordance with the passbook type determination result. The conditions necessary for reading the magnetic stripe, for example, the position of the passbook and the position of the magnetic head 171, are stored in the magnetic stripe read control unit 122 in advance for each passbook type.

In the present embodiment, the detection time is stored for two types of scan directions LR and RL, but the detection time for the scans such as the upper left portion from the upper left portion and the upper right portion from the lower left portion may be included. The magnetic head 171 may be prepared by combining the determination condition in the case of the horizontal position and the determination condition in the case of the horizontal position. Thus, by preparing the judgment conditions according to the case where the scanning conditions are different, it is possible to determine the bankbook type regardless of the initial position of the magnetic head and the bankbook, and to shorten the processing time. There is an advantage.

In addition, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the type of the inserted bankbook is specified as the determination of the bankbook type. However, simply detecting the position of the magnetic stripe to be read or detecting the direction when reading is the bankbook type. The determination may be made.

C. Magnetic Stripe Reading:

6 is a flowchart of a read process of magnetic stripes. This is the process executed by the control unit 110. When this processing is started, the control unit 110 controls the conveyance mechanism to inhale the passbook (step S10). When the passbook is detected by the entry sensor, the control unit 110 sets the magnetic head 171 in the horizontal position as shown in Fig. 4 (step S11), scans (step S12), and detects the time and the signal. The intensity is specified (step S14). The reason why the magnetic head 171 is placed in the horizontal position is that determination conditions (see Fig. 5) are prepared corresponding to the horizontal position. Further, the bank account type is determined based on the specified result with reference to the decision condition storage unit 125 (step S16).

In this way, when the type of bankbook is determined, the control unit 110 newly performs a process for reading the information of the magnetic stripe. In the case of the horizontal stripe (step S18), the vertical stripe reading process is performed (step S20), and in the case of the horizontal stripe, the horizontal stripe reading process is performed (step S30). Thereafter, the results read by the respective processings are output (step S40) to complete the magnetic stripe reading processing.

7 is a flowchart of the vertical stripe read processing. The control unit 110 first sets the magnetic head 171 to the vertical position as shown by the solid line on the way (step S22). Next, according to the bankbook type, the magnetic head 171 is moved to the reading position corresponding to the attachment position of the magnetic stripe (step S24). In this state, while the position of the magnetic head 171 is fixed, a bankbook is conveyed and information is read (step S26). The return of the account may be either round trip. In the case of determining the passbook type while carrying back the passbook, it is preferable to read the information while returning the passbook, since the processing time can be shortened.

8 is a flowchart of a horizontal stripe read processing. The control unit 110 first sets the magnetic head 171 to the horizontal position and moves it to the end as shown by a solid line on the way (step S32). Next, according to the bankbook type, a bankbook is conveyed to the reading position corresponding to the attachment position of a magnetic stripe (step S34). In this state, the magnetic head 171 is moved and the information is read while the position of the bankbook is fixed (step S36).

According to the bankbook handling apparatus 100 described above, the type of bankbook can be determined in a short time by scanning the magnetic head 171 in the inclined direction with respect to the bankbook.

D1. Modification (1):

9 is a flowchart of the magnetic stripe read processing as a modification. It is the process replacing FIG. In the modified example, it is assumed that both of the judgment when the magnetic head is scanned in the horizontal position and the judgment condition when the magnetic head is scanned in the vertical position are prepared as the judgment conditions of the bankbook.

The process of inhaling the bankbook (step S10), setting the magnetic head to the horizontal position (step S11), and determining the type of bankbook by scanning (steps S12a, S14a, S16) is the same as in the embodiment. In the above processing, when it is determined that the control unit 110 is horizontal or vertical, the control unit 110 performs respective readings and completes the magnetic stripe reading processing (steps S18a, S20, S30, S40).

On the other hand, when the type of bankbook cannot be determined by the scan in the horizontal position (step S18a), the control unit 110 switches the magnetic head 171 to the vertical position (step S19), and scans and determines again. (Steps S12a, S14a, S16). Since the magnetic head 171 is in the vertical position, the determination condition corresponding to the vertical position is referred to. The scan of the magnetic head 171 is preferably performed in the opposite direction to the scan in the horizontal space. For example, in the case of the horizontal position, when scanning in the direction of the arrow LR shown in FIG. 5, it is preferable to scan in the direction of the opposite arrow RL in the vertical position. By doing in this way, the scanning in the horizontal position can be started continuously from the conveyance position of the bankbook and the position of the carriage 170 when the scan in the horizontal position is complete | finished. When the type of bankbook is determined by the scanning in the vertical position, respective reading is performed to complete the magnetic stripe reading processing (steps S18a, S20, S30, S40).

According to the processing of the modified example, in order to use the scan in the horizontal position and the scan in the vertical position, the discrimination accuracy of the bankbook can be improved. In the modification, both the scan in the horizontal position and the scan in the vertical position may be necessarily performed, and the type of the bankbook may be determined by using the results of both. In the scan in the horizontal position, when it is determined that it is vertical, the scan may be performed in the vertical position to confirm the result.

D2. Modification (2):

10 is an explanatory diagram showing a magnetic head 171A as a first modification. In determining the type of bankbook, the direction [theta] of the magnetic head may be set so that the sensitivity of the scanning direction is increased. By doing in this way, the precision of a detection time can be improved.

11 is an explanatory diagram showing a magnetic head 171B as a second modification. The magnetic head 171B is provided with both a lead core 171v corresponding to the vertical position and a lead core 171h corresponding to the horizontal position. By using such a magnetic head 171B, the processing of the modification shown in FIG. 9 can be realized in one scan, and the processing can be shortened.

E. Second Embodiment

12 is an explanatory diagram showing the device configuration of the second embodiment. Only differences from the first embodiment are shown. In the second embodiment, it is assumed that the direction of attachment of the magnetic stripes of the bankbook to be handled is unified. Here, the case of handling only the vertical type is illustrated.

In the second embodiment, the magnetic heads 171C and 172C are individually fixed to positions corresponding to the positions Ma, Mb and Mc of the magnetic stripe to be handled. Since the attachment positions of the magnetic stripe positions Ma and Mb are close, two lead cores Ta and Tb are provided in the magnetic head 171C. You may comprise these as individual magnetic heads. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the information read by the lead cores Ta, Tb, and Tc is referred to as trucks Ta, Tb, and Tc.

Each magnetic head outputs a signal in parallel. These signals are amplified by the amplifier 11C, sequentially sampled by the selector 114, and input to the A / D converter 112C. After the A / D converter 112C converts the digital signal, it is stored in the memory 113C for each truck. These signal processings are controlled by the magnetic head control section 127 which is configured software in the control unit 110C.

13 is a flowchart of the magnetic stripe read processing in the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the determination of the bankbook type and the reading of information are performed in parallel. When the processing starts, the control unit 110C sucks the bankbook (step S110), and reads the information of the trucks Ta and Tb while transporting them back (step S112). The reason why the truck Tc is excluded is that the proper sampling rate cannot be maintained in parallel processing of three or more trucks due to the processing speed. If enough sampling rates can be ensured, three trucks may be read simultaneously.

In the case of an account book having magnetic stripes Ma and Mb, information can be obtained from the trucks Ta and Tb in step S112. In the case of the passbook having the magnetic stripe Mc, valid information cannot be obtained in step S112. Therefore, the magnetic stripe Ma when information can be obtained from the truck Ta, the magnetic stripe Mb when information can be obtained from the truck Tb, and the magnetic stripe when information cannot be obtained from any truck. As in Mc, the type of the passbook can be determined by the truck from which the information was obtained (step S114). When the type of bankbook is determined and the reading of the information is completed, the reading result is output (step S118), and the processing ends.

If the bankbook type cannot be determined and the reading of the information is not completed (step S114), the remaining truck Tc is read (step S116). At this time, the process can be shortened by reading while returning and returning the bankbook. In this way, the control unit 110C outputs the read information and ends the processing.

According to the second embodiment, it is possible to shorten the process by determining the type of bankbook while reading a plurality of magnetic heads together.

In the second embodiment, the content of the read information may be taken into consideration when determining the type of the passbook based on the information of the trucks Ta and Tb. In the second embodiment, since the attachment positions of the magnetic stripes Ma and Mb are close to each other, the position of the magnetic stripe Ma or the magnetic stripes Mb is transferred to the trucks Ta and Tb as the position at the time of carrying the bankbook is shifted. Poisoning on both sides can occur. In general, when the types of bankbooks are different, since the contents and recording formats of the information are often different, the bankbook type can be determined by considering the contents of the read information. This determination can be realized by preparing a table in which the record format or the record contents are associated with the type of the passbook in advance, and referring to this. In this way, when the contents of the information are taken into consideration together, even when the transfer position is shifted, it is stable and the bankbook type can be determined.

The second embodiment exemplifies a case in which trucks Ta and Tb are read in parallel regardless of whether information can be obtained. On the other hand, similarly to the first embodiment, the type of bankbook is determined based on the information obtained in the initial step of step S112, and after that, only the truck information corresponding to the type of bankbook is read. good.

In the second embodiment, the processing for the vertical magnetic stripe is illustrated, but the same processing is also possible for the horizontal magnetic stripe. In this case, a plurality of sliding shafts and carriages 170 shown in FIG. 2 may be provided in parallel in the conveying direction to match the magnetic stripe positions.

As mentioned above, although the various Example of this invention was described, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to these Examples, A various structure can be employ | adopted in the range which does not deviate from the meaning. In the embodiment, the case where the attachment position and direction of the magnetic stripe is different is illustrated, but the front surface of the passbook is capable of magnetic recording, and it is also applicable to the case where the information recording position and direction are different. The recording direction of the information is not limited to the conveying direction and the direction orthogonal thereto. In the embodiment, the magnetic stripe and the magnetic head are targeted, but a medium that optically reads information, such as a magneto-optical disk, may be used. The medium to be handled is not limited to a bank account, but can be used for various types of trading media that are used for transactions, such as cash cards and transfer cards, and information is recorded invisibly.

According to the present invention, it is possible to shorten the processing time for the type discrimination of the trading medium. In addition, it is possible to accurately discriminate between the trading media in which the information recording positions are close to each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the bankbook handling apparatus as an Example.

2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the self-reading mechanism 160.

3 is a configuration diagram of an output processing system of the magnetic head 171.

4 is an explanatory diagram showing a principle of discrimination of a bankbook type.

5 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 110.

6 is a flowchart of a read process of magnetic stripes.

7 is a flowchart of the vertical stripe read processing.

8 is a flowchart of a horizontal stripe read processing.

9 is a flowchart of the magnetic stripe read processing as a modification.

10 is an explanatory diagram showing a magnetic head 171A as a first modification.

11 is an explanatory diagram showing a magnetic head 171B as a second modification.

12 is an explanatory diagram showing the device configuration of the second embodiment.

13 is a flowchart of the magnetic stripe read processing in the second embodiment.

Claims (15)

In the transaction medium handling apparatus which handles a plurality of transaction mediums in which information is recorded invisibly and at the same time the recording position and the recording direction of the information, A read head for reading the information, A scanning mechanism that scans the read head relative to the trading medium in a direction intersecting any of the recording directions while passing through at least a portion of the recording position; And a recognition unit for recognizing the type of the trading medium on the basis of the output of the read head at the time of scanning. In the transaction medium handling apparatus which handles a plurality of transaction mediums in which information is recorded invisibly and at the same time the recording position and the recording direction of the information, A plurality of read heads installed corresponding to the respective recording positions for reading the information; A scanning mechanism for scanning the recording position of the information on the transaction medium with the plurality of read heads; And a recognizing unit for recognizing the type of the trading medium on the basis of the outputs of the plurality of read heads at the time of the scanning. In the transaction medium handling apparatus which handles a plurality of transaction mediums in which information is recorded invisibly and at the same time the recording position and the recording direction of the information, A read head for reading the information, An information reading unit for reading at least a part of the information about each of the recording positions by using the reading head; And a recognition unit for recognizing the type of the trading medium based on both the position at which the information can be read and the read information. In the transaction medium processing apparatus for processing a variety of types of transaction medium for which information is recorded in different recording positions, An insertion hole into which the first or second trading medium is inserted; A head for moving a position in which at least some information of each of the other recording positions can be read; A scanning mechanism for moving the head; And a control unit for determining the type of the trading medium inserted in the insertion hole in the read state of the head. The method according to claim 4, The scanning mechanism includes a conveying mechanism for conveying the transaction medium inserted in the insertion port in a first direction, and a second directing the head in the third direction while the conveying mechanism conveys the transaction medium. And a drive mechanism for driving in the direction of the transaction medium. The method according to claim 4, The scanning mechanism has a conveying mechanism for conveying the transaction medium inserted in the insertion hole in a first direction, and a driving mechanism for driving the head in a second direction that is perpendicular to the third direction, The conveying mechanism and the drive mechanism is a transaction medium processing apparatus, characterized in that the mutual operation. The method according to claim 4, The read state is a transaction medium processing apparatus, characterized in that the position that was able to read the information. The method according to claim 7, And the read state also includes read information. The method according to claim 4, The type of the transaction medium inserted in the insertion port determined by the control unit includes a recording position where information is recorded on the transaction medium. The method according to claim 9, When the recording directions of the various types of trading medium information to be processed are different, The type of the transaction medium inserted in the insertion port determined by the control unit includes a recording direction in which information is recorded on the transaction medium. The method according to claim 4, The trading medium is a bank account, The information is self-recorded, The head is a transaction medium processing apparatus, characterized in that the magnetic head. A transaction medium processing apparatus for processing multiple types of transactional media in which information is recorded at different recording positions in the same recording direction, A plurality of heads respectively corresponding to the different recording positions; A scanning mechanism for moving the plurality of heads; And a control unit specifying a type of a transactional medium to be processed at the outputs of the plurality of heads moved by the scanning mechanism. The method according to claim 12, And the control unit specifies a type of a trading medium on the basis of a recording position in which information can be read among the plurality of heads. The method according to claim 13, And the control unit uses the read information used to specify the type of trading medium to process the transaction using the trading medium. The method according to claim 12, The trading medium is a bank account, The information is self-recorded, The head is a transaction medium processing apparatus, characterized in that the magnetic head.