JP2003246116A - Card processing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a highly reliable, easy-to-handle card processing machine. <P>SOLUTION: The card processing machine comprises a hopper containing rewritable cards, a passage for carrying a rewritable card taken out from the hopper, a thermal head 44 for recording information by heating the rewritable card, and a heat roller 42 for erasing information by heating the rewritable card. The housing containing the carrying passage, the thermal head 44, the heat roller 42, and the like, is provided with a cover. The cover is provided with a cover sensor 26 for detecting open/close of the cover, and a cover lock 22 being actuated by a solenoid 24. When the cover lock 22 is unlocked and the cover is opened, power supply to the heat roller 42 is turned off. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a card processor for recording and erasing information by heating a rewritable card.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, rewritable cards capable of recording and erasing information by heating have become popular. As this type of rewritable card, for example, one that is used for a train ticket or the like is known.

This rewritable card can write and read data to and from the built-in IC chip by wireless communication, and can record and erase visible information on its surface by heat. .

A card processing machine for recording and erasing information on a rewritable card includes a hopper containing the rewritable card, a transport mechanism for transporting the rewritable card taken out from the hopper, and heating the transported rewritable card to write predetermined information. Thermal head to record,
It has a heater that heats the rewritable card to erase information.

The transfer mechanism, the thermal head, and the heater are housed in the case of the card processing machine, and when an event such as a transfer jam occurs, the cover of the case is opened to perform the jam processing. There is.

[0006]

However, due to security problems, the cover is provided with a lock. For example, when a jam occurs, an operator removes a key for unlocking the cover to a predetermined storage place. I went to and opened the cover and then jammed. Therefore, it takes a lot of time to clear the jam, which is troublesome.

Further, when removing jammed cards near the exit of the hopper in jam processing, it is necessary to take out all the cards in the hopper once and then take out the jammed cards, which is a frequent task. It was time consuming and troublesome.

Further, since the above-mentioned card processing machine for handling rewritable cards has a built-in heater which is heated to an extremely high temperature, especially when removing the card near the exit of the hopper through the cover, a worker is required. There was a risk of burns from touching the heater.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a card processing machine which is easy to handle and has high reliability.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, a card processing machine of the present invention comprises a hopper containing a rewritable card capable of recording and erasing information by heating, and a rewritable card taken out from the hopper. A transport mechanism for transporting, a thermal head that heats a rewritable card to record information, a heater that heats a rewritable card to erase information, a transport mechanism, a thermal head, and a heater. A housing attached to the housing, an ejection port for ejecting a rewritable card, which is taken out from the hopper and conveyed by a conveyance mechanism, and passed through at least one of a thermal head and a heater to record and / or erase information, A cover that opens and closes the inside of the body and a cover lock that fixes the cover in the closed position. And click, when a situation that by opening the cover need to access the inside of the housing occurs, and includes a control unit for releasing the cover lock automatically, the.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of a card processing machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The card processing machine 1 has a housing 2 which forms the outer shell of the device. A print conveyance unit 4, a power supply unit 6, and a control unit 8 (control unit) are provided in the housing 2. In addition, the hopper 1 is attached to the housing 2 from the outside.
0 is attached detachably. Further, the card processing machine 1 includes an external system (not shown) and a control unit 8
A communication cable 12 for transmitting and receiving data to and from
And a power cable 14 for supplying power to the power unit 6 is connected.

The hopper 10 accommodates a plurality of rewritable cards in an integrated state. Rewritable cards are
It has an IC chip that can write and read data by wireless communication. Further, the rewritable card is capable of rewriting printing by recording and erasing visible information such as characters by applying heat to the surface thereof. Incidentally, the hopper 10 normally accommodates an unused rewritable card, but it may also accommodate a reusable used rewritable card.

The print transport unit 4 transports the rewritable card taken out from the hopper 10 and records and / or erases predetermined information. The rewritable card that has passed through the print conveyance unit 4 and has been processed is discharged through a discharge port 2a (insertion discharge port) formed at a predetermined position of the housing 2.

The power supply unit 6 supplies electric power to the print conveyance unit 4 and the control unit 8. The control unit 8 also controls the operation of the card processing machine 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 2 is provided with a cover 20 that opens and closes inside the housing so that a worker can access it. The cover 20 has a shape in which a rectangular plate is bent at a substantially right angle in the center thereof, and is rotatably attached to the housing 2 via two hinges 21.

The cover 2 is provided at a predetermined position in the housing 2.
A cover lock 22 that electromagnetically locks the cover 20 is provided in a state where 0 is set to the closed position shown by the solid line in the figure. The cover lock 22 turns on the solenoid 24 /
It can be locked and unlocked by turning it off, and can be manually locked and unlocked by a worker using a key.

Further, a cover switch 26 for detecting the opening of the cover 20 is provided at a predetermined position in the housing 2.
(Cover sensor) is provided.

As shown in FIG. 3, a transport path 30 for transporting the rewritable card taken out from the hopper 10 in a substantially horizontal direction is formed in the housing 2. The rewritable card stored in the hopper 10 is
By rotating the pickup roller 10a provided at the lower end of the sheet, the sheets are taken out onto the transport path 30 in order from the lowest one in the stacking direction. The rewritable card taken out on the transport path 30 is transported by a plurality of transport roller pairs 32 provided in a positional relationship of sandwiching the transport path 30.
The plurality of conveying roller pairs 32 are rotationally driven by a motor 34. A plurality of conveying roller pairs 32 and a motor 34
Functions as the transport mechanism of the present invention.

A heat roller 42 (heater), a thermal head 44, and an antenna 46 are provided above the transport path 30. Platen rollers 43 and 45 are provided at positions facing the heat roller 42 and the thermal head 44 via the transport path 30, respectively.

The heat roller 42 erases visible information such as characters printed on the surface of the card by heating the surface of the rewritable card transported through the transport path 30 to a predetermined temperature. The thermal head 44 heats the surface of the rewritable card conveyed through the conveyance path 30 to a predetermined temperature, thereby printing visible information such as characters on the card surface. The antenna 46 writes and / or reads data by wirelessly communicating with an IC chip built in the rewritable card.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control system for controlling the operation of the card processing machine 1 described above.

The control unit 8 for controlling the operation of the card processing machine 1 is provided with a solenoid 24 for locking and unlocking the cover lock 22 and a hopper lock 52 in addition to the above-described print transport unit 4 and power supply unit 6. Solenoid 54 for locking and unlocking, and cover switch 2
6 is connected. The hopper lock 52 functions to lock the hopper 10 attached to the housing 2 in the housing.

In addition to the motor 34, the thermal head 44, the heat roller 42, and the antenna 46, the print carrying unit 4 has a plurality of sensors 50.
A plurality of sensors 50 are provided along the transport path 30 so that their optical axes cross the transport path 30, and detect the transport jam by monitoring the transport position of the rewritable card transported through the transport path 30.

The card processing machine 1 configured as described above
Is operated as follows.

For example, when the cover 20 of the housing 2 is opened and the cover switch 26 detects it, the control unit 8 uses an interlock so as not to operate each mechanism in the print transport unit 4, and at the same time, the heat roller 42 is used. Turn off the power to. In this way, by turning off the heat roller 42 at the same time when the cover is opened, the heat roller 42 can be cooled between the time when the cover 20 is opened and the time when the worker puts his / her hand inside the housing 2, burns, etc. Can reduce the risk of.

In order to further reduce the risk, the control unit 8 is activated when the cover lock 22 is unlocked.
The heat roller 42 may be turned off. In this case, the heat roller 42 can be cooled for a relatively long time from when the cover lock 22 is unlocked to when the cover 20 is opened and an operator puts his / her hand in the housing 2.
The temperature of can be lowered. The unlocking of the cover lock 22 may be performed manually by a worker or controlled by the control unit 8.

The situation in which the cover lock 22 is unlocked under the control of the control unit 8 is assumed to be, for example, when a conveyance jam of a rewritable card is detected via a plurality of sensors 50 provided in the print conveyance unit 4. It In addition to this, when a situation (event) in which a worker needs to access the inside of the housing 2 by opening the cover 20, such as damage to a component incorporated in the print conveyance unit 4, the control unit 8 is , The solenoid 24 is operated to automatically unlock the cover lock 22.

By automatically unlocking the cover lock 22 when an event that requires opening the cover 20 occurs as described above, the worker needs to open the cover 20 immediately after the event occurs. Treatment can be started. In other words, when an event occurs, the worker can
It is not necessary to go to a predetermined storage location for the key for opening 0, and the work time required for the treatment can be greatly reduced.

The control unit 8 may operate the solenoid 54 to unlock the hopper lock 52 when the above-mentioned event occurs. Thereby, for example, when a rewritable card conveyance jam occurs in the print conveyance unit 4, the hopper 10 can be immediately removed from the housing 2, and the jam treatment becomes easy.

Further, by making the hopper 10 removable in this way, for example, when a conveyance jam occurs near the exit of the hopper 10, an operator opens the cover 20 to access the inside of the housing 2 and jam the jam. There is no need to perform processing, and jam processing can be performed with the hopper 10 removed from the housing 2. As a result, the jam can be removed from the outside of the hopper 10, and there is no risk of the worker's hand coming into contact with the heat roller 42 heated to an extremely high temperature, and the reliability can be improved. Further, it is not necessary to remove all the rewritable cards stored in the hopper 10 and then remove the jammed card.

By the way, in the present embodiment, when the hopper lock 52 is unlocked and then the hopper 10 is detached from the housing 2, first, as shown in FIG. The hopper 10 can be removed from the housing 2 by pulling out the hopper and then removing it upward.

That is, when a jam occurs on the rewritable card near the exit of the hopper 10, it is considered that the card tip is projected from the hopper 10, as shown in FIG. 6, for example. In such a case, if the hopper 10 is pulled out from the beginning in the direction orthogonal to the card removing direction, that is, upward, not only the card cannot be removed properly, but the card C may be damaged. Therefore, in the present embodiment, assuming a jam near the outlet of the hopper 10, the hopper 10 is pulled out in a substantially horizontal direction and then removed from the housing 2.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but can be variously modified within the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the control unit 8 detects that the cover 20 is opened via the cover switch 26 and turns off the heat roller 42 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, the heat roller 42 may be connected to a power source via the cover switch 26, and the heat roller 42 may be directly turned off at the same time when the cover switch 26 is turned on.

That is, the card processing machine 1 of this embodiment
7 has a heat roller 42 that is heated to an extremely high temperature as shown in FIG. 7, therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, when the heat roller 42 is directly connected through the cover switch 26 and the cover 20 is opened. At the same time, turning off the heat roller 42 is important for ensuring safety.

[0038]

As described above, since the card processing machine of the present invention has the above-described structure and operation, it is excellent in workability such as jam clearance and is easy to handle, and there is no danger during work. The reliability can be reduced and the reliability can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of a card processing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an open / closed state of a cover of the card processing machine of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an internal structure of the card processing machine of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control system for controlling the operation of the card processor of FIG.

5 is a view for explaining the operation of removing the hopper from the housing of the card processing machine shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which a jam has occurred near the exit of the hopper.

7 is a diagram showing the position of a heat roller in the card processing machine of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a state in which a cover switch is directly connected to a heat roller.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Card processing machine, 2 ... Housing, 2a ... Ejection port, 4 ... Print conveyance unit, 6 ... Power supply unit, 8 ... Control unit,
10 ... Hopper, 20 ... Cover, 22 ... Cover lock, 2
4 ... Solenoid, 26 ... Cover switch, 30 ... Conveyance path, 42 ... Heat roller, 44 ... Thermal head, 50
... sensor, 52 ... hopper lock, 54 ... solenoid.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A hopper containing a rewritable card capable of recording and erasing information by heating, a transfer mechanism for transferring a rewritable card taken out from the hopper, and a thermal head for heating the rewritable card to record information. It contains a heater that heats the rewritable card to erase information, a transport mechanism, a thermal head, and a heater, and also has a housing with a hopper attached, and is taken out from the hopper and transported by the transport mechanism. An insert / eject port for ejecting a rewritable card from which information has been recorded and / or erased by passing through at least one of the heaters, a cover for opening and closing the inside of the casing, and a cover lock for fixing the cover at the closed position. And you need to open the cover to access the inside of the enclosure When condition occurs, card processing machine comprises a control unit for releasing the cover lock automatically, the. 2. A cover sensor for detecting opening of the cover is further provided, and the control unit cuts off energization to the heater when detecting opening of the cover via the cover sensor. The card processing machine according to 1. 3. The card processing machine according to claim 1, wherein the control unit cuts off energization to the heater when the cover lock is released. 4. The card processing machine according to claim 1, wherein the hopper is detachably attached to the housing. 5. A hopper lock for fixing the hopper attached to the casing to the casing, further comprising a hopper lock for accessing the inside of the casing by opening the cover. The card processing machine according to claim 4, wherein the hopper lock is automatically released when the card is generated. 6. The card processing machine according to claim 4, wherein the hopper is removed from the housing by pulling out the hopper in a direction opposite to the direction of taking out the rewritable card.