JPH06168350A - Card processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To surely judge the sort of a card inserted into a card inserting port. CONSTITUTION:The 2nd roller 26 is pushed up by a card C inserted into the card inserting port 21 and a lever 27 is rotated. When the thickness of the card C is more than a prescribed value, a microswitch 29 is turned on by the lever 27, and when the thickness is less than the prescribed value, the switch 29 is not turned on. On the other hand, a magnetic field change detector 24 consisting of a hole element, etc., detects variation in magnetic field generated from a permanent magnet 23 due to the insertion of the card C. A processing part 46 judges the sort of the inserted card by a signal outputted from the detector 24 and executes processing corresponding to the judged result.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a card processing device capable of reading and writing information on an IC memory card and the like as well as thin magnetic cards such as telephone cards.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a public telephone, etc., a prepaid-type telephone card for adjusting the frequency of use every time has been used, but in recent years, it has become possible to use a credit card, and an IC memory card has been used. It is also suggested to use.

A prepaid card is thin (0.27 mm in thickness standard) because it is used for a relatively short period until the value information is lost, and a credit card or an IC memory card is used for a long period of time. For convenience and technical restrictions, a thick type (thickness standard 0.76 mm) is used, and the outer shapes of these cards are almost the same standard except the thickness dimension.

Therefore, for example, in a conventional card processing apparatus in which a thick card can be used together with a thin card such as a telephone card, the type of the inserted card is discriminated by its thickness, and the discrimination result is shown. The corresponding processing is performed.

FIG. 16 shows a thickness detecting mechanism of a card insertion opening portion of the card processing apparatus 1 of this type. That is, the first roller 4 is provided in the card transport path 3 which is continuous with the card insertion slot 2.
Is fixedly arranged, and the second roller 5 for contacting the outer circumference with the first roller 4 is supported by the roller lever 6, and the rotation amount of the roller lever 6 when the card C is inserted between the rollers is set. The difference is detected by turning on / off the micro switch 7, and the card type is determined.

[0006]

However, in the conventional card processing apparatus for discriminating the card type by such a thickness detecting mechanism, when two telephone cards of regular thickness are erroneously inserted in a stacked state, Without being able to identify this, the card was pulled in as a thick card or thin card, and an error occurred in the transport path due to double insertion of the card, and the card could not be returned, making the device itself unusable. There was a chance

It is an object of the present invention to solve this problem and to provide a card processing device capable of surely identifying the type of an inserted card by detecting not only the thickness of the card but also the magnetic characteristics of the card. I am trying.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the card processing apparatus of the present invention makes contact with both sides of a card to be inserted into the card transport path from the card insertion port to reduce the thickness of the card. A card processing device having a thickness detecting means for detecting, discriminating the type of the inserted card by a detection signal from the thickness detecting means, and reading and writing information on the card according to the discrimination result. In, the magnetic field generating means for generating a magnetic field of a predetermined intensity in the card transport path near the card insertion port and the magnetic field are received by a magnetic sensor, and a change in the magnetic field due to a card inserted from the card insertion port is detected. A magnetic field change detection means, based on a detection signal from the thickness detection means and a detection signal from the magnetic field change detection means It is characterized in that to determine.

[0009]

With this configuration, when a card is inserted from the card insertion slot, the thickness of the card is detected by the thickness detecting means and the change in the magnetic field due to the card is detected by the magnetic field change detecting means. . When the inserted card is a magnetic card such as a telephone card, the influence on the magnetic field is greater than that of a non-magnetic card. The type of the card is discriminated by the magnitude or presence or absence of this magnetic field change and the thickness detection by the thickness detection means.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 and 2 show a card processing device 2 of one embodiment in which a telephone card and an IC memory card can be used together.
0 shows the outline.

In these figures, the card insertion slot 21 is
It is provided at one end of the first transport path 22 common to the telephone card and the IC memory card.

A permanent magnet 23 for generating a magnetic field of a predetermined strength is fixed in the first transport path 22 above the card insertion slot 21. Below the permanent magnet 23, a magnetic field change detector 24 for detecting a change in the strength of the magnetic field passing through the card transport path 22 is provided.

The permanent magnet 23 does not magnetize the data recording layer 12 (high coercive force layer) provided on the plastic substrate 11 of the telephone card 10 shown in FIG. 3 and protects the data recording layer 12 (low coercive force layer). It has a strength of, for example, about 1000 gauss so that only the coercive force layer) can be magnetized. When the telephone card 10 is inserted into this magnetic field, the strength of the magnetic field passing through the carrier path is
The effect of 3 reduces the number per telephone card by several percent (3 percent in the experiment).

As shown in FIG. 4, the magnetic field change detector 24 for detecting the change in the magnetic field has a Hall element 24a for outputting a voltage according to the strength of the magnetic field and a Hall element 24a.
24b that amplifies the output of the amplifier 24b, and the output voltage V ₀ of the amplifier 24b is the reference voltages Vr1 and Vr as shown in FIG.
2 and a comparator 24c that outputs the first determination signal as shown in (b) and outputs the second determination signal as shown in (c) when V ₀ is Vr2 or less. ing.

The reference voltage Vr1 is the output voltage V ₁ of the amplifier 24b when there is no card in the carrier path and the output voltage V ₂ of the amplifier 24b when one regular telephone card 10 is inserted in the carrier path. is set approximately intermediate value between the reference voltage Vr2 is set midway between the output voltage V ₃ and V ₂ when the normal telephone card is inserted into the conveying path in two-ply.

Therefore, when one telephone card 10 is inserted, the first determination signal is output from the magnetic field change detector 24, and when two or more telephone cards are inserted, the magnetic field change detector 24 outputs. The second determination signal is output. Also,
Since the non-magnetic IC memory card has almost no effect on the magnetic field, the magnetic field change detector 24 does not output any determination signal.

On the side of the magnetic field change detector 24, first and second rollers 25 and 26 are arranged vertically in order to contact the inserted card from both sides and detect its thickness. . The first roller 25 is fixedly supported in a state where its rotation shaft does not move up and down, and the second roller 26 is supported on the one end 27a side of the roller lever 27 so that the outer periphery of the first roller 25 is within the transport path. Abutting. Roller lever 27
Is rotatably supported by a support shaft 28 as a fulcrum, and is urged to rotate clockwise by a spring or the like (not shown), that is, in a direction in which the rollers abut.

In the vicinity of the other end 27b of the roller lever 27, a micro switch 29 is arranged which is turned on when the other end 27b is lowered by a predetermined amount or more. In the micro switch 29, the gap between the rollers is the thickness of the telephone card (t.
= 0.27 mm) and the thickness of the IC memory card (t = 0.
(76 mm) and when it is almost in the middle, it is mounted at a position where it switches between on and off.

A shutter 30 for preventing the insertion of a card is provided in the middle of the first transport path 22.
The shutter 30 is always urged to enter the first transport path 22 side, and is retracted from the transport path by the drive of a solenoid (not shown) or the force of the card delivered to the card insertion port 21 side. An insertion sensor 31 that detects insertion of a card is provided between the magnetic field change detector 24 and the shutter 30.

At the other end of the first transport path 22, a second transport path 32 dedicated to the IC memory card and a third transport path 33 dedicated to the telephone card are branched. At this branching position, distribution levers 34 are provided for guiding the cards to the dedicated transport paths. Sorting lever 34
When the insertion card is an IC memory card, it is in a horizontal state as shown in FIG. 1 and the first conveyance path 22 and the second conveyance path 3
2 is connected, and in the case of a telephone card, the first conveyance path 22 and the third conveyance path 33 are connected by rotating counterclockwise about the shaft 34a thereof by a predetermined angle. To do.

Above the intermediate portion of the second transport path 32, FIG.
A connector 35 for reading and writing information is provided by contacting each electrode 16 provided on one surface 15a side of the IC memory card 15 shown in FIG.

A pressure roller 36 and a magnetic head 37 are provided in the third transport path 33. Crimping roller 3
The magnetic head 6 and the magnetic head 37 are supported by a guide mechanism and a drive mechanism (not shown) so as to be movable along the third transport path 33. By this movement, reading and writing of magnetic information with respect to the telephone card is performed.

A motor 38 is arranged beside the magnetic head 37. The rotational force of the motor 38 is passed through a belt, a pulley, or the like (not shown) to convey rollers 39a on each conveying path.
~ 39c. Each transport roller 39a to 39c
Conveys the card while sandwiching it between the driven rollers 40a to 40c.

The transport rollers 39b and 39c are switched and driven in conjunction with the sorting lever 34. That is, the transport roller 39b is driven only when the sorting lever 34 is in the horizontal state, and the transport roller 39c is driven only when the sorting lever 34 is tilted by a predetermined angle.

The card processing device 20 having such a mechanism unit is drive-controlled by the control unit 45 shown in FIG.
The control unit 45 receives the outputs of the magnetic field change detector 24, the micro switch 29, and the insertion sensor 31 at the processing unit 46, determines the insertion of the card and the type of the card, and determines the shutter 30 according to the determination result. , The distribution lever 34 (rotating arm 42) and the motor 38 to the drivers 47 to.
The card is drawn into the respective transport paths under the control of 49, and further, the interface circuit 50, the magnetic recording / reproducing circuit 51, and the head driver 5 for moving the head.
2 reads / writes information from / to the card.
This reading / writing process is performed based on information exchange with a control unit (not shown) on the public telephone body side.

FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 show the processing procedure of the processing unit 46. It should be noted that this processing is intended for an IC memory card that can use a telephone call independently like a credit card and can record usage fee information and the like.

The operation of the card processing apparatus 20 will be described below with reference to the flow charts of FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 10, when the card C is inserted into the card insertion slot 21 with the shutter 30 closed, the second roller 26 is pushed up by the thickness of the card C,
The roller lever 27 rotates counterclockwise.

When the insertion sensor 31 detects the insertion of the card C, it is determined whether or not the microswitch 29 is in the on state, and further the output state of the magnetic field change detector 24 is determined (S1 to S4).

In this determination, the micro switch 29
Is ON and the judgment signal of either one of the magnetic field change detectors 24 is ON, the inserted card C is a magnetic card whose thickness greatly exceeds the standard value (a magnetic card laminated or laminated or a counterfeit). It is determined that the card is a card), an alarm signal is output, and the process returns to the initial step S1 (S5).

When the micro switch 29 is off and the first judgment signal of the magnetic field change detector 24 is off, the inserted card C is a counterfeit or defective telephone card without a protective layer or a two-layer telephone. It is determined that the card is a card or the like, and after alarm processing, the process returns to the initial step (S6).

In the case of S5 or S6 described above, since the shutter 30 is still closed, even if these cards are continuously inserted, they will not be drawn into the transport path, and the safety inside the card processing device will be improved. Maintained.

When the micro switch 29 is on and all the determination signals of the magnetic field change detector 24 are off, it is determined that the card C is an IC memory card, and the shutter 30 is set as shown in FIG. Exits from the first transport path 22 and is driven by a motor to transport rollers 39a, 39a.
b rotates in the card withdrawal direction (counterclockwise) (S
7, S8).

At this time, since the sorting lever 34 remains horizontal, the card C is the second dedicated memory card for the IC memory card.
When the rear end of the card C passes through the shutter 30, the shutter 30 immediately closes, and the electrode 16 of the card C contacts the connector 35, and the motor 3
8 is stopped (S9, S10).

When the micro switch 29 is off and the first judgment signal of the magnetic field change detector 24 is on, the card C is judged to be a telephone card, and as shown in FIG. 11 (b), The shutter 30 is opened, the sorting lever 34 is tilted, and the transport rollers 39a and 39c rotate in the retracting direction (S11 to S13).

Therefore, the card C is guided to the third transport path 33 dedicated to the telephone card, and when its rear end passes through the shutter 30, the shutter 30 is closed and the card C is placed on the third transport path 33 in a predetermined manner. When the standby position is reached, the driving of the motor 38 is stopped (S14, 15).

When the first inserted card C is discriminated as an IC memory card and is conveyed to the second conveying path 32, information read / write processing is performed according to the call situation (S).
16). This process is mainly performed with the main body of the public telephone, and includes a reference process of whether or not a call by this IC memory card is possible, a billing data process from the start of the call, and the like.
This processing is performed until the call ends or the insertion of the next card is detected. (S17, 18).

When the first inserted card C is discriminated as a telephone card and is conveyed to the third conveying path 33, the reading / writing process including the remaining frequency check of this telephone card is performed. (S19). This process is performed until the end of the call or the insertion of the next card is detected (S20, 21).

When the insertion of the next card is detected in S18 or S21, the type of the card is determined in the same manner as described above, and when it is determined that the card is the same type as the already existing card or the fraudulent card, the alarm processing is performed. , And returns to the reading / writing process for the previous card (S22 to S2 in FIG. 9).
7).

When it is determined that the regular telephone card is inserted after the IC memory card, the above S1
The next card is carried into the third carrying by the same drawing process as in 1 to 15 (S28 to 32).

On the contrary, the telephone card is followed by the regular I
When it is determined that the C memory card is inserted, the above-described steps S7 to S1 including the process of returning the sorting lever 34 to the horizontal position are performed.
The next card is carried into the second carrying path 32 by the drawing process similar to 0 (S33 to S37).

By either one of the pulling-in processes, the second and third conveying paths 32 in the card processing device 20,
33 includes an IC memory card 15 and a telephone card 1.
0 is carried in respectively, and thereafter, information read / write processing for both cards is performed. When the call ends, the two cards are sequentially ejected from the telephone card (S
38-41).

If the call ends during the card processing of S16 or S19 (including the case where the remaining frequency becomes 0 in S19), the card is returned (S).
42, 43). In addition, the return processing of each card is the motor 3
The procedure is the reverse of each card drawing process except that 8 is reversed, and the insertion sensor 31 detects that the card has passed through the shutter 30 and ends.

In this embodiment, the case where the IC memory card and the telephone card are used together has been described, but the present invention can also be applied to a card processing device which can use a credit card and a telephone card together.

That is, since the credit card 17 is provided with the magnetic recording layer 18 in a band shape at a predetermined position of the card as shown in FIG. 12, the permanent magnet 23 and the magnetic field change detector 24 are provided as shown in FIG. Is arranged at a position where the magnetic recording layer 18 does not pass through, the thickness is detected by the first and second rollers 25 and 26, and the change in the magnetic field due to the permanent magnet 23 is detected by the magnetic field change detector 24. For example, the credit card and the telephone card can be identified by the presence or absence of magnetic change, as in the above-described embodiment.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the permanent magnet is used as the means for generating the magnetic field in the carrier, but this does not limit the present invention, and the electromagnet 6 as shown in FIG.
At 0, a magnetic field of constant strength may be generated, or an alternating magnetic field may be generated.

When the electromagnet 60 is used as shown in FIG. 14, when a card is inserted, a magnetic field is temporarily generated through the switch 61 connected to the DC power source 62 side, and when the card is pulled in, the switch 61 is turned on. By connecting to the resistance R side to stop the generation of the magnetic field and limit the adverse effect of the magnetic field on the card only to the edge portion of the card, the safety can be further enhanced. This is particularly effective when discriminating a credit card.

In the above embodiment, the Hall element 24a is used as the magnetic sensor of the magnetic field change detecting means.
A coil or another magnetic sensor may be used, and like the magnetic field change detector 24 'shown in FIG. 15, two Hall elements 24a, 24a are arranged side by side in the carrying direction, and their output voltages Va, Vb are arranged. Input to the differential amplifier 24b ', V
You may comprise so that the difference voltage of a and Vb may be compared with reference voltage Vr1, Vr2. By using two magnetic sensors in this way, temperature drifts of the sensor outputs and the like cancel each other out on the output side of the amplifier, so erroneous card identification can be prevented even in public telephones and the like where the ambient temperature changes drastically. However, the reference voltage Vr1 in this case is set to approximately the middle of the differential output voltage Vt1 when one regular telephone card is inserted and zero volt, and the reference voltage Vr2 is inserted by stacking two telephone cards. It is set to an intermediate value between the differential output voltages Vt2 and Vt1.

Further, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the card processing device of the public telephone, but the present invention is also applied to the card processing device using a plurality of types of cards including magnetic cards other than the public telephone. it can.

[0051]

As described above, the card processing apparatus of the present invention detects the thickness of the card inserted from the card insertion slot, and at the same time the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generating means is the card of the magnetic field. The magnetic field change detecting means detects the change due to the magnetic field change to determine the type of the inserted card, so that the magnetic cards inserted by mistake can be surely identified and the device cannot be used. It can be prevented from becoming. In addition, it is possible to identify a thin and non-magnetic card or a thick and magnetic card, or to distinguish between magnetic cards, and the range of types of cards that can be identified including illegal or defective cards is widened.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a mechanism unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of FIG. 1 viewed from the card insertion slot side.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a telephone card.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a main part of one embodiment.

5 is a timing chart showing an operation of a main part shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an IC memory card.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a control unit according to an embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a control unit.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a control unit.

FIG. 10 is a side view of an essential part showing a state when a card is inserted according to an embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing a state when the card is pulled in according to the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a credit card.

FIG. 13 is a layout diagram for explaining a detection method for a credit card.

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of another embodiment using an electromagnet.

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of another embodiment using two Hall elements.

FIG. 16 is a schematic side view showing a thickness detection unit of a conventional device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Telephone Card 15 IC Memory Card 17 Credit Card 20 Card Processing Device 21 Card Insertion Port 22 First Conveying Path 23 Permanent Magnet 24 Magnetic Field Change Detector 24a Hall Element 25 First Roller 26 Second Roller 27 Roller Lever 29 Micro Switch 30 Shutter 31 Insertion sensor 32 Second transport path 33 Third transport path

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] February 9, 1993

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Correction target item name] All drawings

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Figure 1]

[Fig. 2]

[Figure 3]

[Figure 4]

[Figure 5]

[Figure 6]

[Figure 10]

FIG. 11

[Fig. 12]

[Fig. 13]

FIG. 14

FIG. 16

[Figure 7]

FIG. 15

[Figure 8]

[Figure 9]

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor All Hasegawa 5-10-10 Minamiazabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo Anritsu Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A thickness detecting means for detecting the thickness of the card by contacting both sides of the card inserted into the card conveying path from the card insertion opening, and detecting signal from the thickness detecting means. In a card processing device for discriminating the type of the inserted card and for reading and writing information on the card according to the discrimination result, a magnetic field of a predetermined intensity is generated in the card transport path near the card insertion slot. A magnetic field change detection unit that receives the magnetic field with a magnetic sensor and detects a change in the magnetic field due to a card inserted from the card insertion slot, and the type of the card inserted from the card insertion slot Is determined based on a detection signal from the thickness detecting means and a detection signal from the magnetic field change detecting means.