JP2001236552A - Card reader-writer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a card reader-writer capable of stably collecting a card in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction with a simple configuration. SOLUTION: A card C is horizontally loaded from a loading port 3 between a base 2 and a cover 8, guided by guides 11 and 12 and a closed aligner 65 and horizontally conveyed by a conveyer belt and a pulley 18. When conveying the card downward after reading the card, a pressing plate 84 moving vertically downward is inserted between the base 2 and the cover 8 and opens the cover. The hold of the card due to the pulley 18 provided on the cover is canceled and the card pressed on the pressing plate is moved down along with the vertical guides. The card pushes and rotates the aligner energized by a spring. The card passed through the alinger is pressed on the surface by the aligner. The attitude of the card moving vertically downward is stabilized and the state of downward ejection is fixed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a card reader / writer which is applied to a card-type vending machine or the like and which reads and writes various information of a card by inserting a card storing various information such as money information. In particular, the present invention relates to a card reader / writer capable of collecting a card in another path different from the insertion slot.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, vending machines can use cards in which amount information is stored in advance, such as magnetic cards and IC cards, in addition to bills and coins. Such a vending machine or the like has a built-in card reader / writer for receiving, reading, and writing cards. The card reader / writer reads the price information of the card inserted in the horizontal direction from the insertion slot and conveyed in the same direction, writes new price information after deducting the amount necessary for purchasing the goods, and then follows the insertion path. Back in the direction opposite to the insertion direction, and return from the insertion slot.

[0003] The card reader / writer is designed to handle a card that satisfies a predetermined collection condition, such as when the inserted card has no money information (balance 0) or when the card cannot be read / written normally. Some items are collected without being returned.

In order to collect the card into the apparatus as described above, in the case where the card insertion path extends in the horizontal direction as described above, the collection is performed vertically downward from the card reading position deep in the insertion path. The path is provided so as to be open to the insertion path. Since the cards in the insertion path are nipped and conveyed by the conveyance rollers arranged in pairs, the cards do not fall into the collection path opened in the insertion path. When it is determined that the card is to be collected, the transport roller releases the card at a predetermined position, drops the card from the insertion path into the collection path, and places the card in a collection box provided below the collection path. Had been recovered.

[0005]

As described above, a conventional card which conveys a card along an insertion path in the apparatus and drops the card from the insertion path to a lower recovery path as needed, and recovers the card. The reader / writer has a structure in which a vertical collection path is opened to a horizontal insertion path. For this reason,
Despite the structure in which the cards are nipped and transported by the transport rollers arranged in pairs, the cards may be caught in the opening of the collection path depending on the state of nipping or transporting in the insertion path, which may hinder transport. Was. In addition, when the card is dropped, the posture of the card becomes unstable, and the card is stuck in the falling path, or the falling state is irregular, so that the storing state is irregular in the collection box, and the desired storing state cannot be obtained. For example, various inconveniences may occur during drop collection.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is directed to a card reader / writer having a structure capable of collecting a card in a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction, wherein the card is reliably and stably transferred in a path. It is intended to be.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a card reader / writer for reading / writing information from / to a card.
First transport means for transporting along the transport path, read / write means for reading and writing information from and to the card in the first transport path, and first transporting the card in the first transport path to the first transport path A second transport unit that transports the card along a second transport path different from a path, and a second transport unit that is provided along the first transport path so as to guide the card transported by the first transport unit; Card guide means is provided for operating the transfer means to transfer the card and connecting the second transfer path and the first transfer path.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the card reader / writer according to the first aspect, when the second transport means transports the card, the card guide means is pushed by the card and the second card transport means is pushed by the card. A second conveyance path is opened to the first conveyance path, and the card guide means contacts the surface of the card to hold the card movably with respect to the second conveyance path.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the card reader / writer according to the second aspect, the card guide means contacts the edge of the card conveyed along the first conveyance path. A guide holding plate capable of swinging between a first position and a second position in contact with the surface of the card conveyed along the second conveyance path; and the guide holding plate set at the first position. Urging means for urging with a predetermined force so as to perform the operation.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the card reader / writer according to the first aspect, wherein the card guide means contacts an edge of the card conveyed along the first conveyance path. And a guide holding plate that can swing between a position where the first conveyance path communicates with the second conveyance path, and a driving unit that swings the guide holding plate.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a card reader / writer for reading / writing information on / from a card, wherein the card is provided on a transport surface of the substrate. A first guide member that partitions a first transport path through which the card is transported, and a first transport unit that is provided on the base and transports the card along the first transport path by contacting one surface of the card. Read / write means provided on the base for reading and writing information from and to the card in the first transfer path, a transfer path cover openably and closably provided on the transfer surface side of the base, The card is provided on the transport path cover, and can be moved to the other surface of the card in the first transport path so that the card can move along the first transport path when the transport path cover is closed. Holding means away from the other surface of the card when contact, said conveying path cover is opened,
A second guide member provided on a transport surface of the substrate and defining a second transport path through which the card is transported; and a second guide member provided on the substrate and being in the first transport path while opening the transport path cover. A second conveying means for feeding the card into the second conveying path; and a second conveying means provided on the conveying path cover along the first conveying path so as to guide the card conveyed by the first conveying means. Card guide means for holding the card movably in a predetermined posture with respect to the second transfer path by contacting the surface of the card by being actuated by being pushed by the card conveyed by the transfer means. are doing.

According to the above configuration, the following operation can be obtained. The card (C) is inserted into a first transport path (4) set between the base (base 2) and the transport path cover (8). This card includes a first guide member (guide pieces 11,
While being guided by 12) and the card guide means (65) at the first position, the paper is nipped and transported by the first transport means (7) and the holding means (second driven roller 18b). The reading / writing means (antenna 70) reads / writes information from / to this card set at a predetermined position in the first transport path. When collecting the card, the second transporting means (collecting means 9) operates. First, the second transport unit opens the transport path cover covering the first transport path. The holding means provided on the conveyance path cover is separated from the card, and the card is released from being held by the first conveyance means and the holding means. At the same time, the second transport means pushes the card and sends it from the first transport path to the second transport path. At this time, the card pushes and swings the guide holding plate of the card guide means provided on the transport path cover, and swings the card from the first position to the second position in contact with the surface of the card. Since the guide holding plate is urged by the urging means (spring 67) with a predetermined force so as to be set at the first position, the card pushed into the second transport path is forced by the guide holding plate with a predetermined force. Is held in a movable state. That is, the card is guided by the second guide member (the vertical portion 12a of the guide piece 12) in the second transport path, and is stably held by the guide holding means. Therefore, the transport of the card in the second transport path is stable, and the card can drop to a predetermined position in a stable posture without being jammed in the path.

[0013]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a card reader / writer of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view seen from the same direction as FIG. 1, and shows a state in which a transport path cover is removed, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of the apparatus, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a main part of the apparatus, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the apparatus viewed from the bottom side, which will be described later. FIG. 5 is a continuous diagram showing the operation of the aligner.

The card reader / writer 1 has various components attached to a base 2 which is a base of the apparatus. Base 2
Is provided with an insertion slot 3 at the front of which is provided a horizontal transport path 4 (first transport path) for the card C communicating therewith.
Further, another transport path 9 which is a discharge path orthogonal to the transport path 4
0 (second transport path) and a recovery port 5 opened to the lower surface of the base 2 in communication therewith. Further, another collection port 6 is provided on the opposite side of the conveyance path 4 from the insertion port 3. The base 2 further includes a transport path cover 8 provided on the transport path 4 to cover the transport path 4 so as to be freely open, a transport unit 7 for transporting the card C along the transport path 4, and a card The collection means 9 as a second transport means to be discharged from the collection port 5, the aligner 65 as card guide means for stabilizing the card C when the card C is discharged from the first collection port 5, and the card C A posture holding means 10 for holding the posture of the card C when the card C is ejected from the first collection port 5 is roughly provided.

The card C is inserted into the insertion slot 3 with the surface of the card C standing upright. The inserted card C is in the horizontal direction X
Is taken in while maintaining this standing state along the transport path 4 formed in the above, and returned from the insertion slot 3 after predetermined processing. The transport path 4 is such that the base 2 is in contact with one surface of the card C, and the base 2 has a width (height in the drawing) of the card C.
The guide pieces 11 and 12 as guide members are formed in parallel at both ends in the width direction to protrude, and guide the conveyance in the horizontal direction X. The guide pieces 11 and 12 are cut out by the length of the card C at the center of the transport path 4. Also,
As shown in FIG. 2, the guide piece 12 has a vertical portion 12a serving as a guide when the card C moves in the vertical direction.

The first and second collection ports 5 and 6 are provided for selectively discharging the card C taken into the apparatus during the collection processing described later, out of the apparatus. The first collection port 5 is provided at a lower portion of the transport path 4 and has a card C
In the vertical direction Y orthogonal to the horizontal direction X. The second recovery port 6 is provided at the rear end of the transport path 4 and discharges the card C along the horizontal direction X.

The first transport means 7 transports the card C inserted from the insertion slot 3 along the transport path 4. The transport means 7 uses a first motor 13 as a drive source, and one end of a vertically extending shaft 14 is connected to the motor 13 to rotate a first transport pulley 15 a fixed to the other end of the shaft 14. The first transport pulley 15a is connected to the second transport pulley 1 via a belt 16 provided along the transport path 4.
5b. First and second transport pulleys 15
The cards a and 15b protrude from the center of the transport path 4 through the openings 2a and 2b of the base 2 and come into contact with one surface (back surface) of the card C. These first and second transport pulleys 15
The peripheral surfaces of a and 15b rotate in the horizontal direction X. Motor 13
, The first and second transport pulleys 15a, 15b
Rotate at the same time to apply a conveying force of the card C in the horizontal direction X.

The transport path cover 8 is provided on the transport path 4
Is provided so as to cover the other surface (front surface) side. A shaft 16a is provided at the lower end of the transport path cover 8, and the shaft 1a
Both ends of 6a are pivotally supported by the base 2, and the upper side is freely openable. The transport path cover 8 has an upper position engaged with a biasing spring 17 provided on the base 2, and the transport path cover 8 is always held in a state in which the other surface (front side) of the transport path 4 is closed. You. By rotating the urging spring 17, the transport path cover 8 can be fully opened.

The transport path cover 8 is provided with a second driven roller 18b at a position facing the second transport pulley 15b. The second driven roller 18b is freely contactable with the second transport pulley 15b through the opening 8a of the transport path cover 8, and is urged in the same direction by a leaf spring 19b as an urging means. This second driven roller 18b
Functions as holding means for holding the other surface (front surface) of the card C to be conveyed. That is, when the transport path cover 8 is closed, the second driven roller 18b
Is in contact with the second conveyance pulley 15b on which the belt 16 is hung, and the card C is nipped between the belt 16 and the second conveyance pulley 15b to be conveyed.

On one side surface of the transport path cover 8, an engaging projection piece 20 for opening and closing to be engaged with the slider 83 of the collecting means 9 as the second transport means is continuously formed. With reference to the exploded perspective view of FIG. In the vicinity of the upper end, a low portion 20a having a low protrusion height
Is formed, and is connected to a high portion 20c having a high protruding height via a slope portion 20b having a predetermined inclination angle. This high part 20
c has a predetermined length, and is connected to a lower portion 20e of a predetermined length via a slope 20d.

On the other side of the transport path cover 8, a pressing projection 21 for pressing the advancing / retreating plate 61 of the attitude holding means 10 is formed so as to protrude. The pressing projection 21 is capable of pressing a projecting piece 61 a of an advance / retreat plate 61 projecting from the opening 2 c of the base 2. As will be described later, the pressing protrusion 21 is
Presses the protruding piece 61a in the closed state.

Also, on the bottom side of the transport path cover 8, FIG.
As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 5, an aligner 65 is provided as card guide means. The aligner 65 is a plate positioned at the notch of the guide piece 12 and guides the transport of the card C in the horizontal direction X together with the guide piece 12. The aligner 65 is integrated with the shaft 66 and is supported by the transport path cover 8 so as to be rotatable with respect to the transport path cover 8. The aligner 65 is at a right angle to the transport path cover 8 in a state where the aligner 65 is engaged with the engagement piece 8d of the transport path cover 8 (see FIG. 8). The shaft 66 is urged by a spring 67 as urging means so as to always engage with the engagement piece 8d. When the card C is ejected from the collection port 5 to the lower part, the aligner 65 is pushed outward by the passage of the card C and opens outward, and contacts the surface of the passing card C with a predetermined force. The discharge of the card C is stabilized.

The collection means 9 as the second transport means is provided with a second
, A rotary shaft 82 connected to the motor 81 and disposed in the vertical direction, and a slider 83 that moves up and down in the vertical direction based on the rotation of the rotary shaft 82. A turning screw groove (not shown) is formed in the rotating shaft 82. A slider 83 is screwed into the screw groove, and the slider 83 moves up and down freely by rotation of the motor 81.
A pressing plate 84 is formed on the slider 83 so as to protrude from the notch portion of the guide piece 11. The pressing plate 84 has a predetermined length in the horizontal direction X, and the side piece 84a guides the conveyance of the card C in the horizontal direction X together with the guide piece 11.

The slider 83 is located at one side of the transport path cover 8 and moves up and down in the Y-axis direction. A rotating body 85 is pivotally supported by the slider 83 at a position where the rotating body 85 is engaged with the engaging projection 20 of the transport path cover 8. This allows
When the slider 83 is lowered, the card C is pushed toward the collection port 5 to be ejected, and the rotating body 85 is engaged with the engagement projection 20 to open the transport path cover 8 (details will be described later). ). The reference position of the slider 83 is
The state is detected by a reference detection sensor 86 comprising an optical sensor integrated with light emission and reception, and a state in which the side piece 84a of the pressing plate 84 is located on the same surface as the guide piece 11 is detected as a reference position. The position of the side piece 84a of the pressing plate 84 that is in contact with the card C is set at a position slightly above (with a predetermined distance from the card C) the guide piece 11. this is,
This is based on the mechanical design of the slider 83, and the transport path cover 8 is opened before the side piece 84a of the pressing plate 84 contacts the card C when the slider is lowered.

The card C taken into the transport path 4 is positioned and fixed at a position immediately above the discharge port 5, and is read / written. In the part where the card C is located at this read / write position,
Attitude holding means 10 is provided. Posture holding means 10
Guides both ends of the card C in the transport direction X when discharging the card C from the collection port 5.

As shown in FIG. 3, an advancing / retreating plate 61 of the posture holding means 10 is provided on the other surface side of the base 2.
The reciprocating plate 61 is rotatable about an upper shaft 63 and is constantly urged in the base 2 direction by a spring 64. The guide pieces 61b project from the advancing / retreating plate 61 on both sides in the transport direction X, and can freely project onto the transport path 4 through the opening 2d of the base 2. This pair of guide pieces 61
b and 61b project to guide both ends (the front end and the rear end in the transport direction X) of the card C at the read / write position. A protruding piece 61 a provided on the reciprocating plate 61 protrudes from the opening 2 c of the base 2, and the protruding piece 61 a contacts the pressing protrusion 21 of the transport path cover 8. Accordingly, the guide piece 61b of the advance / retreat plate 61 is retracted from the transport path 4 when the transport path cover 8 is closed, and the guide piece 61b projects onto the transport path 4 when the transport path cover 8 is open.

Next, other components provided in the card reader / writer 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, a cover 65 that forms the transport path 4 at the time of discharging to the recovery port 6 is formed on the base 2 between the recovery port 6 and the transport path cover 8.
b is attached. On the cover 65b, a first driven roller 18a is provided as a card holding means at a position facing the first transport pulley 15a. The first driven roller 18a is connected to the opening 6 of the cover 65b.
The first transport pulley 15a can be freely contacted with the first transport pulley 15a via the first spring 5a, and is urged in the same direction by a leaf spring 19a as an urging means.

As shown in FIG. 2, the base 2 is provided with an antenna 70 as reading / writing means for reading / writing information on the card C at the reading / writing position of the card C on the transport path 4. As the card C of this embodiment, a non-contact type IC card is used, and the transmitting / receiving unit 68 is connected to the card C located at the reading / writing position via the antenna 70.
Send and receive information.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the apparatus. The control unit 88 transmits and receives information to and from the card C by the antenna 70 via the transmission and reception unit 68. At the entrance of the transport path 4, an insertion detection sensor 69a for detecting the end face (front end and rear end) of the card C inserted from the insertion slot 3 is provided. A return detection sensor 69b for detecting the end is provided, and detection signals from these sensors 69a and 69b are output to the control means 88. This control means 88
Is the operation of each part (take-in operation after insertion, return operation,
Collective operation), and read / write information from / to the card C. When provided in a vending machine, sales data is input externally, and the settlement processing unit 88a
The processing of subtracting the amount of the sales data from the amount information read from the card C and writing the same again into the card C is executed. The recovery processing unit 88b recovers the card C that satisfies a predetermined recovery condition, such as when the inserted card C has no money information (the balance is 0) or when the card cannot be read or written normally. . At the time of this collection, the card C can be collected by appropriately selecting one of the first and second collection ports 5 and 6.
Is described as discharging the card C from the first collection port 5 by controlling the operation.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. When the card C is inserted from the insertion slot 3, the insertion detecting sensor 69 detects the front end of the card C and controls the operation of the transporting means 7.
The second transport pulley 15 is driven by the driving of the first motor 13.
The card b is conveyed in the horizontal direction X along the conveyance path 4 and taken into the apparatus while the card C is sandwiched between the second driven roller 18b and the second driven roller 18b. The detection of each sensor (not shown) and the control of the number of steps of the motor 13 make the card C
Is stopped at the read / write position.

In this state, the settlement processing unit 88 of the control means 88
As for a, the price information stored in the card C is read by the transmission / reception unit 68. Then, a calculation for subtracting the amount of the input sales data is executed, and the amount information is written into the card C again via the transmission / reception unit 68. Thereafter, the operation of the transporting means 7 is controlled to return the card C.
The first motor 13 is driven in reverse to rotate the second transport pulley 15b and the second driven roller 18b in reverse, so that the card C
Is returned from the insertion slot 3. When the return detection sensor 69b detects the front end (rear end at the time of return) of the card C, it drives the motor 13 for a predetermined time and then stops the drive.
In this state, the card C can be taken out from the insertion slot 3.

If the card C is not properly transported during the transport operation of the card C, or if the recovery processing unit 88b satisfies a predetermined recovery condition during the settlement process, the card C is recovered and the insertion slot is inserted. Not returned from 3. On this occasion,
The control unit 88 controls the operation of the collection unit 9 as the second conveyance unit, and discharges the card C from the collection port 5. Less than,
This collection operation will be described.

FIG. 6 is a view showing the operation of the aligner 65 when the card is ejected by the collection means 9. 8 to 11 are diagrams for explaining the operation of ejecting the card by the collection means 9. 8A to 11A are views of the transport path cover 8 viewed from one side (collection port 6), and FIGS. 8B to 11B are views of the transport path cover 8 viewed from the other side (insertion port 3). FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 8, when the card C is being read or written, the transport path cover 8 is closed by receiving the urging force of the urging spring 17, and the second transport pulley 15b and the second driven roller 18b is in contact with the card C. The upper edge of the card C is guided and held by the guide piece 11, and the lower edge is guided and held by the guide piece 12 and the aligner 65. At this time, the aligner 65 is at a position orthogonal to the base 2 or the transport path cover 8 as shown in FIG.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, when the motor 81 of the collecting means 9 operates and the slider 83 starts to descend, the engagement of the conveying path cover 8 with which the rotating body 85 of the slider 83 is in contact. It descends along the projection piece 20. This allows
As shown in the drawing, the rotating body 85 is attached to the slope 20 of the engagement protrusion 20.
When it reaches b, the transport path cover 8 starts to open. As a result, the second driven roller 18b is separated from the card C, and the holding of the card C is released. At the same time, when the transport path cover 8 is opened, the pressing projection 21 is separated from the transport path 4, and the projecting piece 61 a of the advance / retreat plate 61 is projected into the opening 2 c of the base 2 by the urging force of the spring 64 in conjunction therewith. . Thereby, the guide piece 61b of the advance / retreat plate 61 protrudes above the transport path 4, and positions both ends (front end and rear end) of the card C. At the position where the slider 83 is slightly lowered as shown in FIG. 9, the side piece 84a has started to contact the card C, and the card C has not been pressed down.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10, when the slider 83 further descends and is positioned at the high portion 20c of the engagement projection 20, the side piece 84a pushes one side (upper end) of the card C downward. start. Due to this pressing force, the card C starts to be discharged downward from the transport path 4 with both ends guided by the guide pieces 61b and the inclination thereof is regulated. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6B, the other side (lower edge) of the card C is aligned with the aligner 6.
Push 5 and go out. The card C is urged toward the surface (base 2) of the transport path 4 by the aligner 65 urged by the spring 67, so that the card C can be stably ejected without fluctuation at the ejection position. .

Next, as shown in FIG.
Is lowered to the lowermost position, the lower portion 20e of the engagement protrusion 20
And the transport path cover 8 is closed again. At this time, the side piece 84a can be pushed out to a position where one side (upper edge) of the card C reaches the outside of the apparatus. With the closing of the transport path cover 8, the guide piece 61 b of the advance / retreat plate 61 moves to the transport path 4.
The card C is released from the position regulation for both ends (front end and rear end) of the card C. However, at this time, the card C is guided by the vertical portion 12a of the guide piece 12. Also,
As shown in FIGS. 11 and 6C, the aligner 65 holding the card C increases the downward opening angle by the amount that the transport path cover 8 is closed. The card C discharged to the collection port 5 in this manner is guided left and right by the vertical portion 12a of the guide piece 12, and is discharged entirely to the outside while being stably held by the aligner 65.

After the card C is ejected from the collecting port 5, the motor 81 of the collecting means 9 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction, so that the slider 83 moves up to the reference position (the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 8). To rise. The reference position of the slider 83 is detected by the reference detection sensor 86, and the next card C is taken in and the card processing can be performed.

As described above, the aligner 65 of the present embodiment functions as a guide member for the card when the card is conveyed in the first conveyance path 4, and is pushed by the card when the card is collected. The first transport path 4 is replaced with the second transport path 9
It has the function of opening to zero. Then, the opened aligner 65 contacts the card with a predetermined urging force, thereby stabilizing the posture of the card when the card is conveyed.

In the above embodiment, the second motor 81, which is a single drive source, drives the slider 83 to slide the slider 83 to collect the card C, and at the same time, the transport path cover 8 is opened. Not limited to A drive source for the slider 83 for collecting the card C and a drive source for opening the transport path cover 8 may be configured separately, or may be configured to work together. In the above-described embodiment, the operation of discharging the card C from the second discharge port 6 is omitted. However, depending on the installation state of the apparatus and the setting of the control means 88, the second operation is performed at the time of collection.
The card C can be ejected from the collection port 6 of the printer.

In the above embodiment, the card C is an IC
Although described as a card, the present invention is not limited to this.
, The entire card C can be discharged to the outside.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram of a portion corresponding to FIG. 6 of the first embodiment, and other portions are the same as those of the first embodiment. In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 12, a solenoid 100 is used as a driving means to open and close the aligner 65.
Is provided. The drive shaft 100a of the solenoid is linked to the shaft 66 of the aligner 65 with a connecting portion. FIG. 12A shows a state where power is not supplied to the solenoid 100, and the aligner 65 is set to the closed position by the urging force of the spring 67. FIG. 12B shows a state in which the solenoid 100 is energized, and the drive shaft 100 a is retracted to open the aligner 65. The card C can pass through the open aligner 65 and enter the second transport path.

The aligner 65 of this embodiment does not contact the card C and has no function of stabilizing the card in the second transport path 90 as in the first embodiment. However, since the cards are guided by the vertical portions 12a of the guide pieces in the second transport path, the attitude stability in the second transport path is practically sufficiently secured, though not as large as in the first example. I have.

[0043]

According to the present invention, when the guide means for guiding a card at the time of card insertion discharges the card in a direction orthogonal to the card insertion direction, the guide path communicates with the conveyance path at the time of insertion and the discharge path. Let it. Therefore, in a card reader / writer of a type in which a card to be collected is dropped downward from the insertion path in the apparatus, it is possible to surely and stably transfer the card in the path. Furthermore, if the ejected card is configured to be held down by the guide means, there are inconveniences such as the card being stuck in the dropping path, the irregular storage state in the collection box, and the expected storage state being not obtained. The possibility of occurrence can be further reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of a card reader / writer of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a conveyance path cover is removed.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the opposite side of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a main part of the device.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view seen from the bottom side, showing a continuous operation of the aligner.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the device.

FIG. 8 is an operation diagram (part 1) illustrating a card collection operation.

FIG. 9 is an operation diagram (part 2) illustrating a card collection operation.

FIG. 10 is an operation diagram (part 3) illustrating a card collection operation.

FIG. 11 is an operation diagram (part 4) showing a card collection operation.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the second embodiment, viewed from the bottom side, showing the aligner driving means and its continuous operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

1. Card reader / writer 2. Base 3. Insertion slot 4.
... Conveyance path, 5 ... First recovery port, 6 ... Second recovery port, 7 ...
Conveying means, 8: conveying path cover, 9: collecting means, 10: attitude holding means, 11, 12: guide piece, 13: first motor, 15a: first conveying pulley, 15b: second conveying pulley, 18a: first driven roller, 18b: second driven roller, 20: engaging projection piece, 21: pressing projection, 61: advance / retreat plate, 61a: projecting piece, 61b: guide piece, 65: aligner, 81: first 2 motor 83, slider 84, pressing plate 84a side piece 88 control means 88a settlement processing section 88b collection processing section 100 solenoid as drive means for aligner C card.

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Masahide Ishida 5- 10-27 Minamiazabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo Anritsu Corporation (72) Inventor Hiroyoshi Omori 5-10-27 Minamiazabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo Anritsu Corporation (72) Inventor Yukio Mitaka 4-1-2-1, Nihonbashi Muromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Japan Leisure Card System Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Toru Iijima 4-1-2, Nihonbashi Muromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Japan Leisure Card System Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 2C005 HB04 LB45 LB48 MB02 TA24 3E044 AA01 BA04 CA05 CA06 FA03 FA07 5B023 GA02

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A card reader / writer for reading / writing information from / to a card, wherein: a first transport means for transporting the card along a first transport path; Reading and writing means for reading and writing information; second conveying means for conveying the card in the first conveying path along a second conveying path different from the first conveying path; and the first conveying means. The card is conveyed along the first conveyance path so as to guide the card to be conveyed, and is activated when the second conveyance means conveys the card to communicate the second conveyance path with the first conveyance path. A card reader / writer comprising: card guide means; 2. The card guide means is pushed by the card when the second transport means transports the card to open the second transport path to the first transport path, and is provided on the surface of the card. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the card is held movably with respect to the second transport path by contact.
The card reader / writer as described. 3. The card guide unit contacts a first position contacting an edge of the card conveyed along the first conveyance path and a surface of the card conveyed along the second conveyance path. And a biasing means for biasing the guide holding plate with a predetermined force so that the guide holding plate is set at the first position. The card reader / writer as described. 4. The card guide means is provided between a position in contact with an edge of the card conveyed along the first conveyance path and a position in which the first conveyance path communicates with the second conveyance path. The card reader / writer according to claim 1, further comprising: a swingable guide holding plate; and a driving unit that swings the guide holding plate. 5. A card reader / writer for reading / writing information from / to a card, comprising: a substrate having a transport surface of the card; and a first transport path provided on the transport surface of the substrate and transporting the card. A first guide member provided on the base, a first transport unit that contacts one surface of the card and transports the card along the first transport path; Reading / writing means for reading / writing information from / to the card in one transport path; a transport path cover openably and closably provided on the side of the transport surface of the substrate; When the road cover is closed, the card movably contacts the other surface of the card in the first transport path so that the card can move along the first transport path, and when the transport path cover is opened. Holding means for separating from the other surface of the card, a second guide member provided on a transport surface of the substrate and defining a second transport path through which the card is transported, and a transport path provided on the substrate. A second transport unit that sends the card in the first transport route to the second transport route while opening the cover; and a second transport unit that guides the card transported by the first transport unit. Provided on the transport path cover along with the card, which is pressed by the card transported by the second transport means and operates to contact the surface of the card and move the card to a predetermined position with respect to the second transport path. A card guide means for movably holding the card in a posture;