JPH0325831B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a card take-in/return mechanism in a card processing device that is compact and allows cards to be returned from either a return slot or a card insertion slot.

[Prior art]

In most conventional devices of this type, the card insertion slot and the card return slot are the same slot. It was like a bank card or credit card, and if the card was verified, the service would be provided, and once the card was verified, the card would be returned through the slot into which it was inserted. On the other hand, magnetic tickets and commuter passes have separate insertion slots and return slots, but these slots are installed at both ends of the ticket gate and correspond to the ticket gate processing by users, and if the card is not ejected from the return slot, A caretaker standing by the device maintained it and took out the card.
In this way, there was a need for maintenance personnel to be on standby at all times. Further, FIG. 1 shows a card public telephone as an example in which a card insertion slot and a card return slot are configured separately. The card 3 inserted through the card insertion slot 2 provided at the upper front of the card public telephone 1 is taken into the card public telephone 1 and transferred to the card transport mechanism 4.
After being processed along the card transport path 5, the card is discharged from the card return port 6 located at the lower front surface. The reason why the card opening is separated into the upper and lower parts is that even if the value corresponding to the number of degrees recorded on the card 3 is lost during use, an additional card can be inserted into the card insertion slot 2.
In order to guarantee the continuation of the import service, the two slots will be separated automatically, and cards that have lost their value can be stored in the storage box 7 at the bottom of the phone or returned to the card return slot 6. This is because it was made possible. However, in this configuration, since the two openings are separated vertically, there are drawbacks such as forgetting to take out the return card or inserting the card incorrectly into the card return opening 6. Figure 2 shows an example in which both mouths are brought close together. In this configuration, the card transport path cannot be set in one direction, and the card taking-in transport path 8
There is a point where the card return conveyance path 9 and the card processing conveyance path 5 intersect. A card 3 inserted from the card insertion slot 2 is prevented from being inserted beyond a certain length by a shutter 10. When insertion is detected, the drive solenoid 11 is sucked, and the take-in roller 12 connected to the shutter 10 transfers the card 3 to the transport roller 1.
A pressing and conveying force is applied to the card 4, and the card 3 is taken in by the card taking mechanism 13 constituted by these members. When returning the card after processing, a guide valve 15 is installed at the intersection of the three transport paths 8, 5, and 9 to guide the card 3 to the card return transport path 9. The card to be returned is discharged from the card return conveyance path 9 to the card return port 6 along the guide valve 15. Here, the guide valve 15 is normally biased by a spring force to block the return conveyance path 9, and when the card is taken in, the card conveyance force is made larger than the spring force so that the tip of the card 3 closes the return conveyance path 9. It is pushed down and transported. For this reason, if a card is not returned from the card return slot 6, it is impossible to eject it from the card insertion slot 2 as well, resulting in a high device down rate (low operating rate). As a countermeasure for this, it is possible to switch the guide valve 15 using a separate drive source such as a rotary solenoid (not shown), but this has the disadvantage of increasing the size of the device and increasing the number of parts, resulting in an increase in the price of the device. It was hot.

[Summary of the invention]

The present invention has been made in view of these drawbacks, and serves as a guide for the card receiving and return transport path.
Moreover, a roughly triangular member that is driven by the same drive source as the card take-in mechanism and interlocks with it to switch the introduction to both card transport paths is arranged between the card take-in transport path and the card return transport path. Due to the simple configuration, cards can be returned from the card insertion slot, increasing the operating rate of the device, and the drive source for the card loading mechanism and the aforementioned components can be shared, reducing the number of parts and reducing the size.
The present invention provides a card retrieval/return mechanism in a card processing device that is designed to reduce costs.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

〔Example〕

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a card processing device equipped with a card retrieval mechanism according to the present invention, FIG. 4 is a plan view of the card retrieval mechanism, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a substantially triangular switching member. FIG. In the drawings, the same components as in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals. Further, here, a case will be described using a magnetic card as an example of application to a magnetic card type public telephone. The card take-in mechanism 13 disposed on the card take-in conveyance path 8 includes a take-in roller 12a disposed above the card take-in conveyance path 8, and a driving solenoid 11 that moves the take-in roller 12a up and down. , a take-in lever 20 and a lever 21 that connect the take-in roller 12a and the solenoid 11 to form a link mechanism, and a take-in roller 12b that is located at a position facing the take-in roller 12a and applies a take-in force. has been done. in this case,
As shown in FIG. 4, the take-in lever 20 is composed of a pair of left and right plates 20a, 20b, a pair of connecting pins 36a, 36b that connect these, and a shaft 33a, and the lever 21 is connected to the shaft 36a. Meanwhile, the take-in roller 12a is attached to the shaft 36b. When the card is taken in, the taking lever 20 is driven by the solenoid 11 to move the shaft 3 to the shaft 3.
It is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 3 around 3a,
It is configured to press the take-in roller 12a against the take-in roller 12b. The device of this embodiment is provided with a shutter 10 that prevents the card 3 from being inserted beyond a certain level to prevent foreign matter from entering the device. This allows the light to pass through the lower part of the shutter 10. Of course, it is also possible to configure the system without the shutter 10 and with only the card loading mechanism 13.

The card take-in conveyance path 8 and the card return conveyance path 9
are vertically separated by a substantially triangular switching member 19, and communicate with the card processing conveyance path 5 at the rear end thereof.

As shown in FIG. 5, the substantially triangular switching member 19 includes a pair of left and right plates 19a, 19b, a pair of connecting pins 36e, 36f connecting these plates 19a, 19b, and the plates 19a,
A support shaft 33b that pivots the rear end of 19b near the card insertion slot 2 and card return slot 6, a spring (not shown) that biases the plates 19a and 19b counterclockwise in FIG. 3, etc. Normally, communication between the card take-in conveyance path 8 and the card processing conveyance path 5 is prevented, and the card processing conveyance path 5 and the card return conveyance path 9 are communicated with each other.

The card transport mechanism 4 includes the card processing transport path 5
A plurality of conveyor pulleys 22 facing each other sandwiching the
a, 22b, driven pulleys 23a, 23b, conveyor belt 24, driven belt 25, motor 26, reduction pulley 27, tension pulleys 28a, 28b, drive belt 29, motor shaft pulley 30, etc., and is driven by the motor 26. The conveyor belt 24 and the driven belt 25 are configured to grip the card 3 and move it back and forth by force transmission.

The card return mechanism 40 is composed of a transport pulley 22c and a return roller 41, which are arranged across the card return transport path 9, the transport belt 24, a card return port guide 42, etc. Transport pulley 22 driven by
a, 22c, a driven pulley 23a facing these pulleys, and a return roller 41.

In addition, 45 is a punch mechanism that visually displays card recorded information at a predetermined position on the card 3, 46 is a magnetic head as a card information input/output section, 47 is a touch roller, 48 is a gear group, and 49 is a take-in roller 12.
b is a fixed shaft, and 50 is a shaft that supports the return roller 41.

Next, in such a configuration, the operation is
This will be explained based on Figures a to h.

Figure 6a shows the state when the card is inserted.
When the magnetic card 3 on which the remaining power is recorded in advance is inserted into the card insertion slot 2, the shutter 10 prevents further intrusion. When the detectors 55 and 56 detect insertion of the card 3 in this state, a detection signal is sent to a control circuit (not shown), and the control circuit issues a series of processing instructions. Then, the take-in roller drive solenoid 11 performs a suction operation, the lever 21 directly connected to the solenoid 11 is pushed to the left, and the take-in lever 20, which is connected to the lever 21 by a shaft 36a, rotates counterclockwise around the support shaft 33a. rotated in the direction of rotation. Accordingly, the shaft 36b moves the intake lever 2.
The take-in roller 12a connected to the card 3 pushes the card 3 downward and presses it against the take-in roller 12b.
Therefore, the substantially triangular switching member 19 that normally blocks the card take-in conveyance path 8 is rotated and pushed down in the clockwise direction via the card 3 about the support shaft 33b, and while the card take-in conveyance path 8 is opened, , blocking the card return conveyance path 9. FIG. 6b shows this situation. In this state, the card 3 is held between the fixed side take-in roller 12b and the take-in roller 12a. The drive motor 26 rotates clockwise, and its driving force is transmitted to the deceleration pulley 27 via the drive belt 29 supported under constant tension by the tension pulley 28a.
Here, the conveyance pulley 2 on the same axis as the reduction pulley 27
2b rotates clockwise, and the rotation is transmitted to the conveyor pulleys 22c and 22a via the tension pulley 28b and the conveyor belt 24. The rotation of the conveying pulley 22c is transmitted to a gear group 48 installed outside the device guide on the same axis as the pulley 22c, thereby causing the taking-in roller 12b to rotate clockwise, and the taking-in conveying force causes the taking-in roller 12b to rotate clockwise. The card 3 is taken into the interior along the card taking-in conveyance path 8, and then the conveyance pulley 22
a The card processing conveyance path 5 is held between the driven pulley 23a, the conveyor belt 24, and the driven belt 25.
transported to. The tip of the card 3 is the magnetic head 46
When the card 3 is reached, the detector 57 detects the card 3, the detection signal is sent to the control circuit, and the touch roller 47
confirms the information reading process while pressing the card 3 against the magnetic head 46. This is carried out while the card 3 is being conveyed through the card processing conveyance path 5 at a constant speed by the conveyance transmission mechanism explained in FIG. 4B. Then, the card 3 is transferred to the transport pulley 22.
b. The card 3 is held by the driven pulley 23b, the conveyor belt 24, and the driven pulley 25 and sent to the back, and when the detector 58 (Fig. 6c) detects the leading edge of the card 3, the rear end of the card 3 is completely removed. The control circuit stops the suction operation of the solenoid 11 since the liquid has passed through the mixed conveyance path 8. As a result, the solenoid 11 is restored, the series of card taking mechanisms 13 explained in FIG. 4b operate in the opposite direction, and the taking rollers 12a
rotates upward and clockwise about the support shaft 33a. Accordingly, the switching member 19 returns counterclockwise around the support shaft 33b due to the spring force, and closes the card take-in conveyance path 8. Figure 4c shows this state.

When the call ends, as shown in FIG. 6d, the card 3 records and confirms the remaining power information etc. by the magnetic head 46, and then punches the remaining power on the card by the punch mechanism 45 as necessary to visually display the remaining power. The card is punched and returned to the card return slot 6. The card 3 will be conveyed in the opposite direction from when it was taken in, but this is because the motor 26 rotates in the counterclockwise direction opposite to that shown in FIG. The detailed explanation will be omitted since it rotates in the direction. When the card 3 is returned, the leading end is guided to the card return transport path 9 by the end a of the switching member 19 opposite to the support shaft 33b, guided by the lower part of the switching member 19, and transported toward the card return slot 6.
Near the end of the return, the card 3 is transported by the card transport pulley 22c, the return roller 41, and the transport belt 24.
are held and transported. When the leading end of the card 3 protrudes from the card return slot 6 and is further conveyed in the ejection direction, and the rear end of the card is sent out from the return roller 41, the centers of the return roller 41 and the conveyance pulley 22c are shifted, so that the card 3 is The end falls onto the card return slot guide 42 to complete the return [see Figure 4e]. Meanwhile, during a call using card 3,
If the remaining number of calls is exhausted, the call will be forcibly disconnected, but a function is required to allow continued calls using an additional card. The device of the present invention makes this possible, and if the additional card 3b is inserted into the card insertion slot 2 in advance as shown in FIG.
As described in the explanation of FIG.
Based on the logic with the insertion detection signal b, the control circuit instructs the loading process of the additional card 3b. The subsequent steps are carried out in the same way as the previously described import processing, so a description thereof will be omitted here.

FIG. 4g shows a state in which the card 3 is about to be returned from the card insertion slot 2. Normally, the card is returned from the card return slot 6, but if it becomes impossible to return the card from the card return slot 6, or conversely, only in certain cases, the card is returned from the card return slot 6, and normally the card is returned from the card insertion slot 2. If the configuration is such that the card is returned, it is necessary to switch the switching member 19 to guide the card 3 to the card take-in conveyance path 8 side. This processing method will be explained in detail below. When switching the switching member 19, the same drive source as for card loading is used. That is, when the drive solenoid 11 performs the suction operation, the lever 21 is pushed to the left, and the take-in lever 20 rotates counterclockwise about the support shaft 33a. Here, as explained in FIG.
0 consists of a pair of plates 20a and 20b arranged along guides 70 and 71 in the width direction of the card 3, one end of which is connected to the lever 21 via a shaft 36a, and the other end of which is connected to the take-in roller 12a. They are connected by a shaft 36b having a . When the take-in lever 20 is lowered, the take-in roller 1
The lower end surface 73 of the take-in lever 20 presses down the arcuate protrusion 74 of the switching member 19 before the take-in roller 2a comes into pressure contact with the take-in roller 12b. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the substantially triangular switching member 19
It is comprised of a pair of plates 19a and 19b provided at vertically opposing positions on (20a, 20b). The switching member 19 (19a, 19b) is connected to the shaft 3
6e and 36f, and a shaft 33b.
It is configured to rotate as a support shaft shared with the return roller 41. It also supports the take-in roller 12b provided at a position facing the take-in roller 12a. Elongated holes 75 (see FIG. 6g) are provided in the plates 19a and 19b so as to avoid the take-in roller 12b when rotating.
The intake levers 20a, 20b are connected to the plates 19a, 1
When 9b is pushed down and reaches the specified position,
The card can be held and conveyed with the take-in rollers 12a and 12b facing each other. In addition, the switching member 1
The end opposite to the support shaft 33b side of 9 is pushed down,
It is positioned so as to block the card return conveyance path 9 and guide it to the card take-in conveyance path 8. When the card 3 is transported back to the return side in this state, the card 3 is transferred to the switching member 1.
The card is returned along the card take-in conveyance path 8 using the upper end of the card 9 as a guide, and is returned from the card insertion slot 2 with a conveyance force in the opposite direction to that at the time of take-in (FIG. 4h). The take-in lever 20 and the take-in roller 12a of the card take-in mechanism 13
Since the switching member 19 and the taking-in roller 12b have such a structure, when inserting a card, the switching member 19 is pushed down and taken in through the card, and even when there is no card, the card taking-in lever 20 is moved without passing through the card. Moreover, it functions as a guide that enables smooth processing without jamming during reverse conveyance, and the drive source can be switched to the same as that of the intake section.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the card take-in and return mechanism of the card processing device according to the present invention is located inside the device between the card insertion slot and the card return slot, and is sandwiched between the card take-in conveyance path and the card return conveyance path. A substantially triangular member is provided, whereby the communication between the card take-in conveyance path, the card processing conveyance path, and the card return conveyance path and the card processing conveyance path is switched by the same driving source as the card take-in mechanism. Since it also serves as a guide for the take-in and return transport paths, the configuration is simple, highly reliable, has a small number of parts, is inexpensive, and can be made smaller. Furthermore, the card can be returned through the card insertion slot.
Since the card can be returned from any of the card return slots, the operating rate of the device is increased.

Note that the present invention is applicable not only to magnetic card processing devices but also to all types of card processing devices such as paper and plastic cards.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional card processing device for a card public telephone, Fig. 2 is a diagram of a conventional card taking/returning mechanism, and Fig. 3 is a card processing device equipped with a card receiving/returning mechanism according to the present invention. 4 is a plan view of the card taking mechanism, FIG. 5 is a plan view of the substantially triangular switching member, and FIGS. 6 a to 6 h are for explaining the card taking and returning operation. This is a diagram. 1...Card public telephone, 2...Card insertion slot, 3...Card, 4...Card transport mechanism, 5...
...Card processing conveyance path, 6...Card return port, 8...
...Card take-in conveyance path, 9...Card return conveyance path,
10...Shutter, 11...Solenoid, 12
a, 12b... Take-in roller, 13... Card take-in mechanism, 19... Substantially triangular switching member, 26... Drive source, 40... Card return mechanism, 46... Card information input/output unit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A card insertion slot, a card return slot, a shutter that prevents the card from entering beyond a certain level, and a pair of intake rollers that are disposed oppositely above and below across the card intake and conveyance path, and the card is inserted into the device. In the card processing device, the card processing device has a card taking mechanism that takes the card into the device, and a card return mechanism that ejects the card to the outside of the device, the card transport path guide having one end journalled in the vicinity of the card insertion slot and the card return slot. A roughly triangular member is arranged, and this member normally closes the front card taking-in conveyance path, and the taking-in roller provided above the card taking-in conveyance path drives the card taking mechanism. When the card is pressed against the lower take-in roller by the source, a mechanism interlocked with this operates to open the card take-in conveyance path, thereby allowing the card to be removed from either the card insertion slot or the card return slot. A card receiving and returning mechanism in a card processing device, characterized in that the card can be returned.