WO2010052755A1

WO2010052755A1 - Card reader

Info

Publication number: WO2010052755A1
Application number: PCT/JP2008/003234
Authority: WO
Inventors: 鈴木弘之; 忠政明博
Original assignee: 日立オムロンターミナルソリューションズ株式会社
Priority date: 2008-11-07
Filing date: 2008-11-07
Publication date: 2010-05-14
Also published as: JP5174184B2; CN102171709B; JPWO2010052755A1; CN102171709A

Abstract

A card reader (100) comprises carrying members (2a-2c) for carrying an IC card (200) provided, on the front surface thereof, with an external terminal (200a), a contact terminal (11e) which touches the external terminal (200a) of the IC card (200) when communicating with the IC card (200) carried by the carrying members (2a-2c), and a neutralization member (11f) provided movably. The neutralization member (11f) is so arranged as to come into contact only with a part of the front surface of the IC card (200) before the contact terminal (11e) is brought into contact with the external terminal (200a) of the IC card (200).

Description

Card reader

The present invention relates to a card reader provided with a charge removing member, and more particularly to a card reader for handling an IC card.

Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, an insertion slot into which a card is inserted, a magnetic head for reading information recorded on the card, and a feed for transporting a card inserted into the insertion slot to the magnetic head. There is known a card reader provided with a roller and a charge removal brush (charge removal member) for removing static electricity of a card.

In this card reader, the static elimination brush is disposed in the card conveyance path and attached between the insertion port and the feed roller. Therefore, when a card is inserted into the insertion slot, the static elimination brush always contacts the surface of the passing card. As described above, there is a problem that when the static elimination brush constantly contacts the surface of the card, the static elimination brush is easily worn and the card is easily scratched.
Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 10-187867 gazette

Then, the main object of this invention is to provide the card reader which can suppress abrasion of a static elimination member and damage to a card | curd.

A card reader according to the present invention comprises a transport member for transporting an IC card having an external terminal provided on the surface, and a contact terminal for contacting the external terminal of the IC card when communicating with the IC card transported by the transport member. The card reader further includes a movable charge removing member. And this static elimination member is comprised so that only a part of surface of IC card may be contacted, before a contact terminal contacts an external terminal of IC card.

In this way, since the static elimination member contacts the surface of the IC card only when necessary, wear of the static elimination member can be suppressed as compared with the case where the static elimination member constantly contacts the surface of the IC card, and Damage can also be suppressed.

In the card reader, the charge removing member may be provided on a movable member for causing the contact terminal to contact the external terminal of the IC card. A contact terminal is attached to the movable member.

In this way, the charge removal member can be moved using the movable member, and there is no need to separately provide a mechanical component for moving the charge removal member, so that the number of parts is increased accordingly be able to.

In this case, the movable member is configured to be pushed down when the IC card is positioned below the movable member, the charge removal member includes a discharge brush, and the discharge brush is configured to be pushed In some cases, it may be configured to contact the surface of the IC card.

In this way, unlike in the case where the side surface of the IC card contacts the discharge brush in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the bristles of the discharge brush extend, even when a crack (break) is present on the side surface of the IC card Since the bristles of the static elimination brush are less likely to be caught in the cracks, it is possible to prevent the static charge brush from being torn.

In the card reader, the static elimination member may be configured to be in contact with the entire external terminal of the IC card.

In this way, all the terminals constituting the external terminal can be discharged.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the card reader which can suppress abrasion of a static elimination member and damage to a card | curd can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a card reader according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a contact block of a card reader according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a contact block of a card reader according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a card reader according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the card reader according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a side view showing the card reader of FIG. 1 carrying an IC card. FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state in which the movable member of the contact block of FIG. 3 is pushed down and the discharging brush contacts the IC card. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the movable member of FIG. 7 and the IC card. FIG. 9 is a side view showing a state in which the card reader of FIG. 1 transports the card while contacting the static elimination brush with the IC card. FIG. 10 is a side view showing a state in which the claws of the movable member of FIG. 3 are disposed in the transport path. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing an IC card destaticized by the card reader of FIG. FIG. 12 is a side view showing a state in which the IC card is transported for communication after the card reader of FIG. 1 has been discharged. FIG. 13 is a side view showing the contact terminal of the movable member of FIG. 3 in contact with the IC card. FIG. 14 is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the movable member of FIG. 13 and the IC card. FIG. 15 is a side view showing a state in which the card reader of FIG. 1 ejects an IC card.

Explanation of sign

2a to 2c Conveying roller 11 movable member 11e contact terminal 11f static elimination brush 100 card reader 200 IC card 200a external terminal

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, the configuration of the card reader 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. The card reader 100 according to the present embodiment is, as shown in FIG. 1, a contact block 4 (see FIG. 2) including a housing 1, transport rollers 2a to 2c, transmissive

optical sensors

3a and 3b, and a movable member 11. And). The transport rollers 2a to 2c are examples of the "transport member" in the present invention.

The housing 1 is provided with an insertion slot 1 a into which the IC card 200 is inserted. The conveyance rollers 2a to 2c are provided in a pair at the upper and lower sides of the conveyance path P, respectively. The transport rollers 2a to 2c transport the IC card 200 in the insertion direction (arrow A direction) and the discharge direction (arrow B direction). The

optical sensors

3a and 3b each include a light emitting element, a light receiving element, and the like, and detect the position of the IC card 200 on the transport path P.

As shown in FIG. 2, the contact block 4 includes a movable member 11, a bracket 12, a tension coil spring 13 (see FIG. 3), an actuator 14 and an arm 15. The movable member 11 is formed with a claw 11a projecting downward at an end in the direction of the arrow A, and an engaging portion 11b with which one end of a tension coil spring 13 (see FIG. 3) is engaged. Further,

shafts

11 c and 11 d are attached to the movable member 11.

Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the movable member 11 according to the present embodiment is provided with the static elimination brush 11 f together with the contact terminal 11 e. The static elimination brush 11 f removes static electricity from the external terminal 200 a (see FIG. 8) provided on the surface of the IC card 200. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the static elimination brush 11 f is attached to a claw portion 11 a provided at an end in the arrow A direction. The charge removal brush 11 f is an example of the “charge removal member” in the present invention. Instead of the discharging brush 11f, a conductive spring member, a conductive roller or the like may be used as the "discharging member" in the present invention.

The bracket 12 is configured to movably hold the movable member 11. The bracket 12 has a pair of side plates 12 a and a connecting plate 12 b connecting the side plates 12 a. Each of the pair of side plates 12a is formed with a guide hole 12c into which the shaft 11c is inserted and a guide hole 12d into which the shaft 11d is inserted. The guide hole 12c has a horizontal portion extending in the directions of arrows A and B, an inclined portion extending in the oblique direction, and a vertical portion extending in the direction orthogonal to the arrows A and B. The guide hole 12d has a horizontal portion extending in the direction of the arrows A and B and an inclined portion extending in the oblique direction. A pivot shaft 12e is formed on one side of the side plate 12a. The connecting plate 12b is formed with an engaging portion 12f with which the other end of the tension coil spring 13 (see FIG. 3) is engaged.

The tension coil spring 13 is movable so that the shaft 11c of the movable member 11 is located at the upper end of the vertical portion of the guide hole 12c and the shaft 11d is located at the upper end of the inclined portion of the guide hole 12d as shown in FIG. The member 11 is biased. The actuator 14 is attached to the bracket 12 and has a plunger 14a and a solenoid 14b for driving the plunger 14a. The plunger 14a is provided with an engagement pin 14c. The arm 15 is formed in an L-shape, and has a notch 15a into which the engagement pin 14c is inserted, and an insertion hole 15b into which the rotation shaft 12e is inserted.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the card reader 100 is provided with a motor 5 for driving the transport rollers 2a to 2c (see FIG. 1) and a control unit 6 for controlling the operation of the card reader 100. Further, the card reader 100 can communicate with a host device 150 such as an ATM (Automated Teller Machine) main body.

Next, the operation of the card reader 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Each step of this flowchart is executed by the control unit 6 (see FIG. 4).

First, in the card reader 100, it is determined in step S1 whether or not the IC card 200 (see FIG. 1) is inserted into the insertion slot 1a of the housing 1. The insertion of the card can be detected, for example, by a sensor (not shown) provided near the insertion slot 1a. If it is determined that the IC card 200 is not inserted into the insertion slot 1a, step S1 is repeated. That is, the card reader 100 stands by until the IC card 200 is inserted. When it is determined that the IC card 200 has been inserted into the insertion slot 1a, the process moves to step S2.

In step S2, the conveyance rollers 2a to 2c (see FIG. 1) are rotated forward by driving the motor 5 (see FIG. 4). As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the IC card 200 is taken into the inside of the housing 1 and conveyed in the insertion direction (arrow A direction). At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, in the contact block 4, since the movable member 11 is pulled by the tension coil spring 13, the movable member 11 is accommodated in the bracket 12. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the IC card 200 is transported in the direction of arrow A without contacting the static elimination brush 11f.

Next, in step S3 of FIG. 5, it is determined whether the optical sensor 3b (see FIG. 6) has detected the IC card 200. If it is determined that the optical sensor 3b does not detect the IC card 200, step S3 is repeated. That is, conveyance of the IC card 200 shown in FIG. 6 in the direction of arrow A is continued until the optical sensor 3b detects the IC card 200. When it is determined that the optical sensor 3b has detected the IC card 200, the process proceeds to step S4.

In step S4, by stopping the drive of the motor 5, the forward rotation of the transport rollers 2a to 2c is stopped. Next, in step S5, the solenoid 14b (see FIG. 4) is energized. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 7, since the plunger 14a is driven in the direction of arrow B, the arm 15 is rotated in the direction C around the rotation shaft 12e in a state in which the engagement pin 14c is engaged with the notch 15a. The movable member 11 is pushed down by the arm 15. At this time, since the IC card 200 is located below the movable member 11, the discharging brush 11 f contacts the surface of the IC card 200. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 8, the area R1 of the surface of the IC card 200 is neutralized by the static elimination brush 11f (see FIG. 7). At this time, the movable member 11 is located on the arrow B direction side of the external terminal 200 a of the IC card 200 in plan view. The width W1 of the static elimination brush 11f (the movable member 11) is larger than the width W2 of the external terminal 200a.

Next, in step S6 of FIG. 5, the conveyance rollers 2a to 2c are reversely rotated by driving the motor 5. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the IC card 200 is transported in the ejection direction (arrow B direction) with the static elimination brush 11f in contact with the card surface.

Next, in step S7, it is determined whether the optical sensor 3a (see FIG. 9) has detected the IC card 200. If it is determined that the optical sensor 3a does not detect the IC card 200, step S7 is repeated. That is, conveyance of the IC card 200 in the direction of arrow B as shown in FIG. 9 is continued until the optical sensor 3a detects the IC card 200.

Here, as shown in FIG. 10, when the IC card 200 passes below the contact block 4 and is separated from the discharging brush 11f, the solenoid 14b is continuously energized, and the plunger 14a is shown in FIG. The arm 15 is further rotated in the C direction since the arm 15 is further driven in the arrow B direction. Therefore, since the movable member 11 is further pushed down by the arm 15, the claws 11a of the movable member 11 project downward so as to block the transport path P. Then, since the IC card 200 is transported in the direction of arrow B in a state where the discharging brush 11f contacts the card surface, as shown in FIG. 11, the region R2 including the external terminal 200a on the surface of the IC card 200 is discharged. Be done. That is, in the card reader 100 according to the present embodiment, only a part (region R2) of the surface of the IC card 200 is discharged, and the entire external terminal 200a of the IC card 200 is discharged.

If it is determined in step S7 in FIG. 5 that the optical sensor 3a has detected the IC card 200, the process proceeds to step S8. In step S8, the reverse rotation of the transport rollers 2a to 2c is stopped by stopping the driving of the motor 5. Next, in step S9, the conveyance rollers 2a to 2c are rotated forward by driving the motor 5. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 12, the IC card 200 is conveyed again in the arrow A direction.

Then, as shown in FIG. 10, since the claws 11a of the movable member 11 project in the conveyance path P, the leading end of the IC card 200 conveyed in the arrow A direction abuts on the claws 11a. When the IC card 200 is further transported in the direction of arrow A while maintaining this contact state, a pressing force based on the transport force of the card is applied from the tip of the IC card 200 to the claw portion 11a. , Moves against the biasing force of the tension coil spring 13. That is, the

shafts

11c and 11d of the movable member 11 are guided by the guide holes 12c and 12d, respectively, whereby the movable member 11 moves along the guide holes 12c and 12d, and the

shafts

11c and 11d reach the position shown in FIG. When it comes, the movable member 11 stops. In this process, the contact terminal 11e of the movable member 11 contacts the external terminal 200a (see FIG. 14) of the IC card 200. The external terminal 200 a is electrically connected to an IC chip (not shown) built in the IC card 200. The IC chip stores card information, transaction information, and the like.

Next, in step S10 of FIG. 5, by stopping the drive of the motor 5, the forward rotation of the transport rollers 2a to 2c is stopped. Thereby, the IC card 200 stops in a state where the contact terminal 11 e and the external terminal 200 a are in contact with each other. In addition, the timing which stops the drive of the motor 5 is determined based on the detection result of the optical sensor which is not shown in figure, for example. Alternatively, the motor stop timing may be determined based on the elapsed time from the start of normal rotation of the transport rollers 2a to 2c in step S9, and the number of rotations of the motor 5.

Next, in step S11, communication is performed between the IC card 200 and the control unit 6 through the contact terminal 11e and the external terminal 200a. Thus, the information stored in the IC card 200 is read and updated. The control unit 6 also communicates with the higher-level device 150 (see FIG. 4).

Next, in step S12, the energization of the solenoid 14b is stopped. As a result, the plunger 14a returns from the state shown in FIG. 13 in the direction of arrow A by the return spring (not shown), so that the arm 15 pivots in the direction D about the rotation shaft 12e. As a result, the movable member 11 is released from the depression by the arm 15. Then, in step S13, by driving the motor 5, the transport rollers 2a to 2c are reversely rotated. As a result, the IC card 200 is transported in the direction of arrow B, and the tip of the IC card 200 is separated from the claws 11 a, so that the movable member 11 is accommodated in the bracket 12 by the biasing force of the tension coil spring 13. Returns to the original state shown in FIG.

Next, in step S14, it is determined whether the IC card 200 has been ejected. The ejection of the card can be detected, for example, by a sensor (not shown) provided in the vicinity of the insertion slot 1a. Alternatively, the card ejection can be detected by measuring the elapsed time from the start of reverse rotation of the transport rollers 2a to 2c or the number of rotations of the motor 5. If it is determined that the IC card 200 has not been ejected, step S14 is repeated. That is, conveyance of the IC card 200 shown in FIG. 15 in the direction of arrow B is continued until the IC card 200 is discharged. Then, when it is determined that the IC card 200 has been ejected, the process proceeds to step S15.

In step S15, by stopping the driving of the motor 5, the reverse rotation of the transport rollers 2a to 2c is stopped, and thereafter, a series of operations are finished.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the movable member 11 is provided with the discharging brush 11f, and only the region R2 (see FIG. 11) including the external terminal 200a before the contact terminal 11e contacts the external terminal 200a of the IC card 200. As compared with the case where the static elimination brush always contacts the surface of the IC card, the static elimination brush 11 f can be suppressed from being worn out by static elimination. This makes it possible to reduce the occurrence of an electrical malfunction caused by the wear powder of the static elimination brush 11 f scattering in the housing 1. In addition, the surface of the IC card 200 can be prevented from being damaged by the static elimination brush 11 f.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the movable member 11 is pushed down by the arm 15, the discharging brush 11f contacts the surface of the IC card 200, the side surface of the IC card is perpendicular to the direction in which the bristles of the discharging brush extend. From the above, unlike in the case of contact with the static elimination brush, even if a crack (break) is present on the side surface of the IC card 200, the bristles of the static elimination brush 11f are less likely to be caught in the crack, and thus the bristles of the static elimination brush 11 f Can be prevented.

Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, in order to discharge the region R2 including the external terminal 200a of the IC card 200, all the terminals (ground terminal and signal terminal) constituting the external terminal 200a are discharged at once. be able to.

Further, in the present embodiment, by attaching the discharging brush 11f to the movable member 11 provided with the contact terminal 11e, the moving brush 11f can be moved using the movable member 11, and a mechanism for driving the discharging brush 11f. Since it is not necessary to separately provide a part, it can suppress that the number of parts increases by that much.

Further, in the present embodiment, after the claw portion 11 a of the movable member 11 is protruded to the conveyance path P by the actuator 14, the IC card 200 is pressed by the IC card 200 using the conveyance force of the IC card 200. As a result, the contact terminal 11e is brought into contact with the external terminal 200a. Therefore, the actuator 14 can be miniaturized and power consumption can be reduced as compared with the case where the contact terminal 11 e is brought into contact with the external terminal 200 a by the driving force of the actuator.

The present invention can adopt various embodiments other than the above. For example, in the case of a card reader for handling an IC card provided with a magnetic stripe, in the above embodiment, a magnetic head (not shown) is provided, and information of the magnetic stripe is transferred when the IC card is transported in step S2 in FIG. Should be read.

Further, although the example in which the discharging brush 11f is provided on the movable member 11 configured such that the contact terminal 11e contacts the external terminal 200a by the transport force of the IC card 200 has been described in the above embodiment, the invention is not limited thereto. The discharging member may be provided on the movable member configured such that the contact terminal 11e is in contact with the external terminal 200a by being directly driven by the

In the above embodiment, after communication between the card reader 100 and the IC card 200 is performed, the example of stopping energization of the solenoid 14b (step S12) is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. The current supply may be stopped at any time after contact between the contact terminal 11e and the external terminal 200a.

The present invention can be applied to all card readers that handle IC cards, such as a card reader mounted on an automatic transaction processing apparatus such as an ATM, and a card reader mounted on a card authentication terminal.

Claims

A conveying member for conveying an IC card having an external terminal provided on the surface,
A card reader including a contact terminal that contacts an external terminal of the IC card when communicating with the IC card transported by the transport member;
The apparatus further comprises a movable charge removing member,
A card reader characterized in that the static elimination member is configured to contact only a part of the surface of the IC card before the contact terminal contacts the external terminal of the IC card.
The contact terminal is attached, further comprising a movable member for bringing the contact terminal into contact with the external terminal of the IC card,
The card reader according to claim 1, wherein the static elimination member is provided on the movable member.
The movable member is configured to be depressed when the IC card is located below the movable member,
The charge removal member includes a charge removal brush,
The card reader according to claim 2, wherein the static elimination brush is configured to contact the surface of the IC card when the movable member is pressed down.
The card reader according to claim 1, wherein the charge removing member is configured to be in contact with the entire external terminal of the IC card.