A retransfer card printer

Abstract

The application discloses a retransfer card printer, which comprises a printer case, a card supply part, a card cleaning part, a card turnover part, a magnetic stripe information recording part, a contact chip information recording part, a wireless radio frequency chip information recording part, a ribbon conveying part, a transfer film conveying part, a printing part, a transfer part and a card flattening mechanism. The output port of the card supply part, the input port and the output port of the card cleaning part, the input port and the output port of the card turnover part, the input port and the output port of the transfer part and the input port and the output port of the card flattening mechanism are sequentially arranged on the same transfer plane. The card without electronic information recording is directly conveyed to the transfer part through the card turnover part without turning over, so that the card feeding path is simplified, the working cycle time of the printer is reduced and the working efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of reprint card printers, and more particularly to a reprint card printer. Background Technology

[0002] The basic principle of a card transfer printer is to use a thermal printhead and a rubber roller to press a strip of ink and a strip of transfer film together. The thermal printhead, controlled by a controller, prints the ink on the ink strip onto the transfer film in an orderly manner to form an image. Then, a heated roller and another rubber roller press the transfer film with the image onto the card and apply pressure and heat to transfer the image from the transfer film onto the card surface.

[0003] A typical card transfer printer includes: a card supply section for supplying and stacking blank spare cards; a card surface cleaning section for cleaning the surface of blank cards entering the printer to improve image transfer quality; a card flipping section for flipping cards to achieve double-sided transfer; an electronic information recording section for recording information such as magnetic stripe information, contact chip information, and RFID chip information; a ribbon supply and recycling section for ribbons with one side coated with dye, which is printed onto the receiving layer of a transfer film by a thermal printhead; a transfer film supply and recycling section for transfer films with a receiving layer coated on the plastic base film, which is transferred onto the card surface by peeling off the plastic base film under heat and pressure; and a printing section. The system includes a thermal printhead and printing section rubber rollers. A ribbon and a transfer film are pressed tightly between the thermal printhead and the printing section rubber rollers. The digitally controlled thermal printhead prints the dye on the ribbon onto the transfer film in an orderly manner to form an image. A transfer section is provided, which includes heating rollers and transfer section rubber rollers. The transfer film with the image printed on it is pressed tightly between the heating rollers and the transfer section rubber rollers, and the card is heated to transfer the image from the transfer film onto the card surface. A failed card receiving slot is provided to collect cards that failed to write or read electronic information. A card flattening mechanism is provided to restore the flatness of cards that have been bent or deformed after the pressure and heating process. A completed card receiving slot is provided, where cards that have completed electronic information writing or reading, image transfer, and card bending correction are discharged through the card stacking path and neatly stacked in the completed card receiving slot.

[0004] Existing card printers typically place the electronic information recording unit between the card flipping unit and the transfer unit. This means that the card printing process must pass through the electronic information recording unit, even when printing cards that do not require electronic information recording. This increases printing time and reduces work efficiency. Furthermore, existing card printers usually have a fixed spare card storage box. When the application requires dispensing one card at a time, the spare card storage box contains spare cards, which must be removed before dispensing a single card, making it inconvenient to use.

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to design a new technical solution to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of this, the present invention addresses the deficiencies of the prior art, and its main objective is to provide a re-transfer card printer that simplifies the card feeding path for cards that do not require electronic information recording by arranging the magnetic stripe information recording unit, the contact chip information recording unit, and the radio frequency chip information recording unit all around the card flipping unit. The card is then directly transported to the transfer unit through the card flipping unit without flipping, reducing printing time and improving work efficiency.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0008] A re-transfer card printer includes a printer chassis, a card supply unit, a card cleaning unit, a card flipping unit, a magnetic stripe information recording unit, a contact chip information recording unit, a radio frequency chip information recording unit, a ribbon conveying unit, a transfer film conveying unit, a printing unit, a transfer unit, and a card leveling mechanism.

[0009] The output port of the card supply unit, the input and output ports of the card cleaning unit, the input and output ports of the card flipping unit, the input and output ports of the transfer unit, and the input and output ports of the card leveling mechanism are arranged sequentially and are all located on the same transfer plane.

[0010] The magnetic stripe information recording section, the contact chip information recording section, and the radio frequency chip information recording section are all arranged around the card flipping section, and the ribbon conveying section, the transfer film conveying section, and the printing section are all located below the transfer plane.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment, the card supply unit has a card picking roller with a high coefficient of friction rubber on its surface, and the card picking roller is mounted on the printer chassis; the card supply unit also includes a spare card storage box for holding spare cards, the spare card storage box is detachably mounted on the printer chassis, and the card output port of the spare card storage box is located above the card picking roller.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment, the card supply unit further includes a card inlet side cover with the card picking roller as the rotation center. A door cover idler roller is provided inside the card inlet side cover at a position tangent to the card picking roller. The door cover idler roller is assembled on the card inlet side cover, and there is an elastic floating arrangement between the door cover idler roller and the card picking roller. The card inlet side cover is also provided with an opening for the card to pass through.

[0013] When the card inlet side door is placed horizontally, the door idler roller and the card picking roller are arranged horizontally, and the spare card storage box can be placed on top of it;

[0014] When removing the spare card storage box, the card inlet side cover can be rotated to a vertical position. When the card inlet side cover is in the vertical position, the door cover idler roller is located directly above the card picking roller. At this time, the inner common plane of the card picking roller and the door cover idler roller coincides with the transfer plane. The opening is at the same height as the transfer plane, and the card is given in a single manner.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment, the card flipping unit has two sets of card conveying rollers. Each set of conveying rollers consists of an active rubber roller and a passive roller that are axially parallel. The active rubber roller and the passive roller are elastically floating. Under appropriate pressure, the two wheel surfaces of the active rubber roller and the passive roller are tangent. There is a card conveying plane between the active rubber roller and the passive roller of the two sets of conveying rollers for card conveying. The input and output ports of the card conveying plane are located on the transfer plane. The axes of the two active rubber rollers are parallel to each other and the two active rubber rollers are located on the same side of the conveying plane.

[0016] As a preferred embodiment, the card flipping section further includes a card flipping section bracket, with two sets of conveying rollers assembled on the card flipping section bracket. The card flipping section bracket has a flipper rotation axis, which is connected to the printer chassis and is located on the card conveying plane of the card flipping section.

[0017] As a preferred embodiment, the card cleaning unit includes an active cleaning roller and a passive cleaning roller. The rubber surface of the cleaning roller is a smooth surface with electrostatic adsorption force. The axes of the active and passive cleaning rollers are parallel. The active and passive cleaning rollers are elastically floating, so that their surfaces press against each other and are tangent at the joint. A card cleaning plane is formed between the active and passive cleaning rollers and is located on the transfer plane. The card cleaning unit also includes a dust collection roller bracket and a dust collection roller disposed on the dust collection roller bracket. The dust collection roller is covered with double-sided adhesive for adhering to the adhering material that the active cleaning roller picks up from the card.

[0018] As a preferred embodiment, a card feed sensor is provided between the card supply unit and the card cleaning unit, and the card feed sensor is located above the transfer plane.

[0019] As a preferred embodiment, the magnetic stripe information recording section is located below the card cleaning section, the card transport path plane of the magnetic stripe information recording section is the magnetic stripe information recording plane, and the magnetic stripe information recording plane faces the card flipping section;

[0020] The contact chip information recording part is located diagonally below the card flipping part on the side away from the card cleaning part. The card transport path plane of the contact chip information recording part is the contact chip information recording plane, and the contact chip information recording plane faces the card flipping part.

[0021] The wireless radio frequency chip information recording section is located between the upper part of the contact chip information recording section and the lower part of the transfer plane, and the wireless radio frequency chip recording antenna plate plane of the wireless radio frequency chip information recording section is parallel to the transfer plane.

[0022] As a preferred embodiment, the ribbon conveying unit is located below the card flipping unit. The ribbon conveying unit includes a ribbon, a ribbon supply spindle, and a ribbon recycling spindle. The ribbon conveying path of the ribbon conveying unit is formed by the ribbon starting from the end of the ribbon supply spindle, passing around multiple ribbon path guide bars, and then being wound and recycled by the ribbon recycling spindle.

[0023] The transfer film conveying section is located on the side of the ribbon conveying section away from the card supply section. The transfer film conveying section includes a transfer film, a transfer film supply shaft, and a transfer film recycling shaft. The transfer film conveying path of the transfer film conveying section is that the transfer film starts from the end of the transfer film supply shaft, passes around multiple transfer film path guide rods, and is then wound and recycled by the transfer film recycling shaft.

[0024] As a preferred embodiment, the printing unit includes a thermal printhead and a printing roller swing bracket. The thermal printhead is located within the area surrounded by the ribbon transport path of the ribbon transport unit, and the thermal printhead has heating wires with the plane of the heating wires facing the transfer film transport unit. The printing roller swing bracket is located within the area surrounded by the transfer film transport path, and one end of the printing roller swing bracket is fixed to the printer chassis via an iron shaft, which serves as the swing rotation center of the printing roller swing bracket. A printing rubber roller is provided on the swing end of the printing roller swing bracket. A printing cam is provided on the printer chassis, and the rotation of the printing cam drives the swing of the printing roller swing bracket. The printing rubber roller on the printing roller swing bracket can swing towards the thermal printhead or swing away from the thermal printhead.

[0025] The transfer section includes a heating roller module and a transfer rubber roller. The heating roller module is located in the area surrounded by the transfer film conveying path and is located between the printing roller swing bracket and the transfer plane. The transfer rubber roller is located above the heating roller module and is above the transfer plane.

[0026] As a preferred embodiment, it also includes a completion card receiving slot located on the output side of the card leveling mechanism.

[0027] As a preferred embodiment, the system also includes a failed card receiving slot located below the magnetic stripe information recording section. The failed card receiving slot is used to collect cards that fail during electronic information recording or whose transfer instructions are cancelled.

[0028] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has obvious advantages and beneficial effects. Specifically, as can be seen from the above technical solution:

[0029] The main feature is that by arranging the magnetic stripe information recording unit, the contact chip information recording unit, and the radio frequency chip information recording unit all around the card flipping unit, the card feeding path of cards that do not need to record electronic information is simplified. The card is directly transported to the transfer unit through the card flipping unit without flipping. This straight and streamlined card feeding path reduces the time of the printer's entire working cycle and improves work efficiency.

[0030] Secondly, the card supply unit includes a card inlet side cover and a detachable spare card storage box. When the card inlet side cover is placed horizontally, the cover idler roller and the card picking roller are arranged horizontally, and the spare card storage box can be placed on top of it. When the spare card storage box is removed, the card inlet side cover can be rotated to a vertical position. When the card inlet side cover is in the vertical position, the cover idler roller is located directly above the card picking roller. At this time, the inner common tangent plane of the card picking roller and the cover idler roller coincides with the transfer plane, and the opening is at the same height as the transfer plane. Cards are supplied one by one. The two supply methods are versatile and easy to use.

[0031] Furthermore, the output port of the card supply unit is located on the input port side of the card cleaning unit, ensuring that the card surface is cleaned before card printing, thereby improving the transfer yield.

[0032] Furthermore, a card feed sensor is installed between the card supply section and the card cleaning section. When the card feed sensor detects a card, the card picking roller moves the card into the card cleaning section in a first rotation direction. After the card has completely left the card feed sensor, the card picking roller will reverse from the first rotation direction to the second rotation direction to ensure that the card is not interfered with by a second card in the card reprinter and that no second card will be mistakenly inserted, causing printing errors.

[0033] To more clearly illustrate the structural features and effects of the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0034] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the general structure of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention (including a spare card storage box).

[0036] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention (including a spare card storage box).

[0037] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a preferred embodiment of the present invention (including a spare card storage box).

[0038] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention (including a spare card storage box).

[0039] Figure 6 This is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention (excluding the spare card storage box);

[0040] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a preferred embodiment of the present invention (excluding the spare card storage box).

[0041] Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention (excluding the spare card storage box).

[0042] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a card leveling mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached diagram:

[0044] 1. Printer chassis 2. Card supply department

[0045] 3. Card cleaning section 4. Card flipping section

[0046] 5. Magnetic stripe information recording unit; 6. Contact chip information recording unit

[0047] 7. Radio frequency chip information recording unit; 8. Ribbon transmission unit

[0048] 9. Transfer film conveying unit 10. Printing unit

[0049] 11. Transfer section 12. Card leveling mechanism

[0050] 13. Completed Card Storage Slot 14. Failed Card Storage Slot

[0051] 15. Completed Card Storage Slot 16. Spare Card Storage Box

[0052] 17. Transfer plane 18. Card inlet side cover

[0053] 19. Door cover idler roller 20a, drive rubber roller

[0054] 20b. Active rubber roller; 21a. Passive roller

[0055] 21b. Passive roller; 22. Card flipping section bracket

[0056] 23. Rotating axis of the tilter 24. Active cleaning roller

[0057] 25. Passive cleaning rollers 26. Dust collection rollers

[0058] 27. Dust collection roller bracket 28. Card feed sensor

[0059] 29. Magnetic stripe information recording plane; 30. Contact chip information recording plane

[0060] 31. Wireless radio frequency chip recording antenna board plane; 32. Ribbon supply hinge.

[0061] 33. Ribbon recovery spindle 34. Ribbon conveying path

[0062] 35. Ribbon path guide bar 36. Transfer film supply spindle

[0063] 37. Transfer film recycling spindle 38. Transfer film conveying path

[0064] 39. Transfer film path guide bar 40. Thermal printhead

[0065] 41. Printing roller swing bracket 42. Printing rubber roller

[0066] 43. Printing Cam 44. Ribbon

[0067] 45. Transfer film 46. Heating roller module

[0068] 47. Transfer rubber roller 48. Printing spring

[0069] 49. Opening 50. Card

[0070] 51. Guide rib; 52. Track groove

[0071] 53. Semicircular pressing position; 54. Card conveying plane

[0072] 55. Card cleaning surface. Detailed Implementation

[0073] Please refer to Figures 1 to 9 As shown, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated, including a printer housing 1, a card supply unit 2, a card cleaning unit 3, a card flipping unit 4, a magnetic stripe information recording unit 5, a contact chip information recording unit 6, a radio frequency chip information recording unit 7, a ribbon conveying unit 8, a transfer film conveying unit 9, a printing unit 10, a transfer unit 11, and a card leveling mechanism 12.

[0074] The output port of the card supply unit 2, the input and output ports of the card cleaning unit 3, the input and output ports of the card flipping unit 4, the input and output ports of the transfer unit 11, and the input and output ports of the card leveling mechanism 12 are arranged sequentially and are all located on the same transfer plane 17.

[0075] The magnetic stripe information recording unit 5, the contact chip information recording unit 6, and the radio frequency chip information recording unit 7 are all arranged around the card flipping unit 4, and the ribbon conveying unit 8, the transfer film conveying unit 9, and the printing unit 10 are all located below the transfer plane 17.

[0076] Specifically, the card supply unit 2 has a card picking roller 15, the surface of which is provided with rubber with a high coefficient of friction, and the card picking roller 15 is mounted on the printer housing 1; the card supply unit 2 also includes a spare card storage box 16 for holding spare cards, the spare card storage box 16 is detachably mounted on the printer housing 1, and the card output port of the spare card storage box 16 is located above the card picking roller 15;

[0077] The card flipping unit 4 has two sets of card conveying roller groups. Each set of conveying roller groups consists of active rubber rollers (20a, 20b) and passive rollers (21a, 21b) arranged axially parallel. The active rubber rollers (20a, 20b) and passive rollers (21a, 21b) are elastically floating. Under appropriate pressure, the surfaces of the active rubber rollers (20a, 20b) and passive rollers (21a, 21b) are tangent. The active rubber rollers (20a, 20b) and passive rollers (21a, 21b) of the two conveying roller groups are tangent. Between the rollers (21a, 21b) is a card conveying plane 54 for conveying cards. The input and output ports of the card conveying plane 54 are located on the transfer plane 17. The axes of the two active rubber rollers (20a, 20b) are parallel to each other and the two active rubber rollers (20a, 20b) are located on the same side of the conveying plane. The two active rubber rollers (20a, 20b) are connected to the same stepper motor through a power transmission mechanism, and the controller drives the two active rubber rollers (20a, 20b) through the stepper motor.

[0078] The card cleaning unit 3 includes an active cleaning roller 24 and a passive cleaning roller 25. The rubber surface of the cleaning roller is a smooth surface with electrostatic adsorption. The axes of the active cleaning roller 24 and the passive cleaning roller 25 are parallel. The active cleaning roller 24 and the passive cleaning roller 25 are elastically floating, so that their surfaces press against each other and are tangent at the joint. A card cleaning plane 55 is provided between the active cleaning roller 24 and the passive cleaning roller 25, and the card cleaning plane 55 is located on the transfer plane 17. The active cleaning roller... The wheel 24 is connected to a stepper motor via a power mechanism, and the controller drives the active cleaning roller 24 to rotate via the stepper motor. The card cleaning part 3 also includes a dust collection roller bracket 27 and a dust collection roller 26 disposed on the dust collection roller bracket 27. The dust collection roller 26 is covered with double-sided adhesive for adhering to the adhering material adhering to the card by the active cleaning roller 24. The dust collection roller bracket 27 is detachably disposed on the printer housing 1, so that the active cleaning roller 24 and the passive cleaning roller 25 are kept in a good clean state, thereby improving the print quality.

[0079] The magnetic stripe information recording unit 5 is located below the card cleaning unit 3. The card transport path plane of the magnetic stripe information recording unit 5 is the magnetic stripe information recording plane 29, and the magnetic stripe information recording plane 29 faces the card flipping unit 4.

[0080] The contact chip information recording unit 6 is located on the side diagonally below the card flipping unit 4 away from the card cleaning unit 3. The card transport path plane of the contact chip information recording unit 6 is the contact chip information recording plane 30, and the contact chip information recording plane 30 faces the card flipping unit 4.

[0081] The wireless radio frequency chip information recording unit 7 is located between the upper part of the contact chip information recording unit 6 and the lower part of the transfer plane 17, and the wireless radio frequency chip recording antenna plate plane 31 of the wireless radio frequency chip information recording unit 7 is parallel to the transfer plane 17.

[0082] The ribbon conveying unit 8 is located below the card flipping unit 4. The ribbon conveying unit 8 includes a ribbon 44, a ribbon supply shaft 32, and a ribbon recovery shaft 33. The ribbon supply shaft 32 and the ribbon recovery shaft 33 are driven by the controller through two independent motors. The ribbon conveying path 34 of the ribbon conveying unit 8 is formed by the ribbon 44 starting from the end of the ribbon supply shaft 32, passing around multiple ribbon path guide rods 35, and then being wound and recovered by the ribbon recovery shaft 33.

[0083] The transfer film conveying unit 9 is located on the side of the ribbon conveying unit 8 away from the card supply unit 2. The transfer film conveying unit 9 includes a transfer film 45, a transfer film supply shaft 36, and a transfer film recycling shaft 37. The transfer film supply shaft 36 and the transfer film recycling shaft 37 are driven by a controller through two independent motors. The transfer film conveying path 38 of the transfer film conveying unit 9 is formed by the transfer film 45 starting from the end of the transfer film supply shaft 36, passing around multiple transfer film path guide rods 39, and then being wound and recycled by the transfer film recycling shaft 37.

[0084] The printing unit 10 includes a thermal printhead 40 and a printing roller swing bracket 41. The thermal printhead 40 is located within the area surrounded by the ribbon transport path 34 of the ribbon transport unit 8. The thermal printhead 40 has heating wires, and the plane of the heating wires faces the transfer film transport unit 9. The printing roller swing bracket 41 is located within the area surrounded by the transfer film transport path 38. One end of the printing roller swing bracket 41 is fixed to the printer housing 1 through an iron shaft, and the iron shaft is the swing rotation center of the printing roller swing bracket 41. A printing rubber roller 42 is provided on the swing end of the printing roller swing bracket 41, and the printing rubber roller 42 can rotate freely on the printing roller swing bracket 41 through a bearing.

[0085] The printer housing 1 is equipped with a printing cam 43. The rotation direction of the printing cam 43 is controlled by a controller via a motor. The rotation of the printing cam 43 drives the printing roller swing bracket 41 to swing. This swings the printing rubber roller 42 on the printing roller swing bracket 41 towards the thermal printhead 40, or away from the thermal printhead 40. When the printing rubber roller 42 swings towards the thermal printhead 40, it presses the transfer film 45 and the ribbon 44 onto the heating wire of the thermal printhead 40. The pressure exerted by the printing rubber roller 42 on the thermal printhead 40 is provided by a printing spring 48 installed inside the printing roller swing bracket 41.

[0086] The transfer unit 11 includes a heating roller module 46 and a transfer rubber roller 47. The heating roller module 46 is located in the area surrounded by the transfer film conveying path 38 and is located between the printing roller swing bracket 41 and the transfer plane 17. The transfer rubber roller 47 is located above the heating roller module 46 and above the transfer plane 17. The transfer rubber roller 47 is driven by the controller through a stepper motor to drive the card to perform the transfer action.

[0087] The card leveling mechanism 12 is located on the side of the transfer section 11 away from the card supply section 2 in the horizontal direction. After the card undergoes the pressure and heating process of the transfer section 11, it is bent and deformed. The card leveling mechanism 12 is used to apply the deformation in the opposite direction to the card with the known deformation direction, so that it can be restored to flatness.

[0088] As a preferred embodiment, it also includes a completion card receiving slot 13, which is used to receive cards that have completed the transfer and electronic information recording, and the completion card receiving slot 13 is located on the output side of the card flattening mechanism 12;

[0089] As a preferred embodiment, it also includes a failed card receiving slot 14, which is located below the magnetic stripe information recording section 5. The failed card receiving slot 14 is used to collect cards that fail during electronic information recording or cards whose transfer instructions are cancelled.

[0090] Furthermore, the side of the spare card storage box 16 is provided with guide ribs 51, and correspondingly, the printer chassis 1 is provided with a track groove 52, with the guide ribs 51 fitting into the track groove 52; the bottom of the guide ribs 51 has a semi-circular pressing position 53, which abuts against the shaft of the card picking roller 15, so that the spare card storage box 16 is placed at a precise distance above the card picking roller 15, and the card printing surface inside the spare card storage box 16 is nearly horizontal, with cards stacked one by one; the wheel surface of the card picking roller 15 and the spare card storage box 16 are positioned at a precise distance above the card picking roller 15. The first card at the bottom of the storage box 16 contacts the card surface. The card's own weight causes friction between the card and the card picking roller 15. A controller controls an independent motor to drive the card picking roller 15. The card picking roller 15 rotates horizontally in a first direction to carry the card in contact with its wheel surface out of the spare card storage box 16 and transport it to the input port of the card cleaning section 3. The second rotation direction of the card is opposite to the first rotation direction. The transfer plane 17 is approximately parallel to and coincides with the plane where the printing surface of the first card at the bottom of the spare card storage box 16 is located in the printer housing 1.

[0091] Furthermore, the card supply unit 2 also includes a card inlet side cover 18 with the card picking roller 15 as the rotation center. A door cover idler roller 19 is provided inside the card inlet side cover 18 at a position tangent to the card picking roller 15. The door cover idler roller 19 is assembled on the card inlet side cover 18, and the door cover idler roller 19 and the card picking roller 15 are elastically floating. The card inlet side cover 18 is also provided with an opening 49 for the card 50 to pass through.

[0092] When the card inlet side door cover 18 is placed horizontally, the door cover idler roller 19 and the card picking roller 15 are arranged horizontally, and the spare card storage box 16 can be placed on top of it.

[0093] When the spare card storage box 16 is removed, the card inlet side door cover 18 can be rotated to a vertical position. When the card inlet side door cover 18 is in a vertical position, the door cover idler roller 19 is located directly above the card picking roller 15. At this time, the inner common tangent plane of the card picking roller 15 and the door cover idler roller 19 coincides with the transfer plane 17. The opening 49 is at the same height as the transfer plane 17, and the card is given in a single manner.

[0094] In addition, the card flipping section 4 also includes a card flipping section bracket 22, on which two sets of conveying rollers are assembled. The card flipping section bracket 22 has a flipper rotation axis 23, which is connected to the printer housing 1. The flipper rotation axis 23 is located on the card conveying plane 54 of the card flipping section 4. The card flipping section bracket 22 is connected to a stepper motor through a power mechanism. The controller drives the card flipping section bracket 22 to rotate around the flipper rotation axis 23 through the stepper motor. The extension direction of the magnetic stripe information recording plane 29 passes through the flipper rotation axis 23, and the extension direction of the contact chip information recording plane 30 also passes through the flipper rotation axis 23.

[0095] Preferably, a card feed sensor 28 is provided between the card supply unit 2 and the card cleaning unit 3. The card feed sensor 28 is located above the transfer plane 17. The card feed sensor 28 can be a cut-off sensor or a micro switch sensor.

[0096] Furthermore, the axial distance between the two active rubber rollers (20a, 20b) is 20-85mm; the angle between the magnetic strip information recording plane 29 and the transfer plane 17 is preferably 120 degrees; the angle between the contact chip information recording plane 30 and the transfer plane 17 is preferably 30 degrees; the distance between the wireless radio frequency chip recording antenna plate plane 31 and the transfer plane 17 is 5-30mm; and the ribbon conveying unit 8 is located between the angle between the magnetic strip information recording plane 29 and the contact chip information recording plane 30.

[0097] The card leveling mechanism 12 includes a first leveling mechanism active roller and a second leveling mechanism active roller located below the transfer plane 17 and spaced apart along the card feeding direction. It also includes a swing leveling assembly, which includes a leveling mechanism bracket and a first leveling mechanism idler wheel, a second leveling mechanism idler wheel, and a leveling roller mounted on the bracket and located above the transfer plane. The first leveling mechanism idler wheel, the leveling roller, and the second leveling mechanism idler wheel are arranged at intervals along the card feeding direction. Each of the first and second leveling mechanism idler wheels is equipped with a leveling spring to provide a clamping force between the first and second leveling mechanism idler wheels and their corresponding first and second leveling mechanism active rollers to hold the card. In the initial state, the bottoms of the first and second leveling mechanism idler wheels are progressively higher. The leveling mechanism bracket has a swing fulcrum facing the card feeding side. The leveling mechanism bracket is connected to a drive device, which controls the position of the leveling mechanism bracket swinging up and down around the swing fulcrum.

[0098] Typically, two sliding grooves are provided on the leveling mechanism support. The first leveling mechanism idler wheel and the second leveling mechanism idler wheel are movably arranged in the corresponding sliding grooves. The leveling springs are respectively provided in the two sliding grooves, and a reset device is provided on the top of the leveling mechanism support, so that the leveling mechanism support is always in close contact with the drive device, thereby realizing the leveling mechanism support swinging up and down around the swing fulcrum.

[0099] Specifically, both the first and second leveling mechanism active rollers are driven by a first motor, which is a reversible motor; and the axis of the leveling roller passes through the fixing hole of the leveling mechanism bracket and can rotate freely relative to the leveling mechanism bracket.

[0100] Furthermore, the driving device includes a second motor and a leveling mechanism cam driven to rotate by the second motor. The wheel surface of the leveling mechanism cam contacts the side of the leveling mechanism support away from the swing fulcrum, so as to control the position of the leveling mechanism support swinging up and down.

[0101] The cam of the leveling mechanism has a first cam face, a second cam face, and a third cam face arranged sequentially along the rotation direction of the cam of the leveling mechanism, with the eccentric distance gradually decreasing.

[0102] When the third cam face contacts the leveling mechanism bracket, the first leveling mechanism idler wheel and the second leveling mechanism idler wheel move away from the corresponding first leveling mechanism active roller and second leveling mechanism active roller. The leveling roller is within the outer circle tangent of the first leveling mechanism idler wheel and the second leveling mechanism idler wheel. This position is to ensure that the card will not touch the idler wheel during the transfer process, resulting in poor transfer quality.

[0103] When the second cam face contacts the leveling mechanism bracket, the first leveling mechanism idler wheel and the second leveling mechanism idler wheel contact the wheel surfaces of the corresponding first leveling mechanism active roller and the second leveling mechanism active roller. Due to the action of the leveling spring, the first leveling mechanism idler wheel and the second leveling mechanism idler wheel, together with the corresponding first leveling mechanism active roller and the second leveling mechanism active roller, generate a clamping force on the card. At this time, the wheel surface of the leveling roller is tangent to the transfer plane.

[0104] When the first cam face contacts the leveling mechanism bracket, the idler wheel of the first leveling mechanism, the idler wheel of the second leveling mechanism, and the wheel surfaces of the corresponding active rollers of the first and second leveling mechanisms continue to contact each other. Due to the action of the leveling spring, the idler wheel of the first and second leveling mechanism, and the corresponding active rollers of the first and second leveling mechanisms generate a greater clamping force on the card. At this time, the wheel surface of the leveling roller protrudes downward from the transfer plane. When transporting the curved card to be leveled, the leveling roller squeezes the curved card in the opposite direction, and the leveling work is completed at the same time as the card is transported to the card slot.

[0105] Preferably, when the first cam face contacts the leveling mechanism support, the two wheel faces of the first leveling mechanism drive roller and the first leveling mechanism idler roller are tangent, and the plane A formed by their axes is at an angle A with the transfer plane. The plane A is inclined towards the leveling roller, and the extension direction of the sliding groove on the leveling mechanism support for the first leveling mechanism idler roller to form elastic sliding is parallel to the plane A. The projection distance between the leveling roller and the first leveling mechanism idler roller on the transfer plane is La, and the distance between the bottom of the leveling roller and the transfer plane is D. Then the angle A is θa = arctan(La / D).

[0106] The active roller and idler roller of the second leveling mechanism are tangent to each other. The plane B formed by their axes is at an angle B to the transfer plane. Plane B is inclined towards the leveling roller. The sliding groove on the leveling mechanism support, which allows the idler roller of the second leveling mechanism to slide elastically, extends parallel to plane B. The projection distance between the leveling roller and the active roller of the second leveling mechanism on the transfer plane is Lb. The bottom of the leveling roller is D below the transfer plane. Then the angle B is θb = arctan(Lb / D). When the leveling roller reverses the pressure to correct the bent card, the curved surface of the card is perpendicular or almost perpendicular to plane A and plane B, respectively. The axis where plane A and plane B intersect is the center of the curved surface of the card. Thus, the card is not clamped by the roller, which causes a discontinuity in curvature at the inverted point, preventing the card from appearing wavy.

[0107] A card leveling method for a re-transfer card printer, wherein the card leveling mechanism 12 is located on the side of the transfer section 11 away from the card supply section in the horizontal direction. After the card has undergone the pressure and heating process of the transfer section, during the card output process, the card passes through the card leveling mechanism. When the card still has residual heat, the driving device controls the swing leveling component to swing downward around the swing fulcrum to straighten the bent card.

[0108] Specifically, during leveling, the surfaces of the first leveling mechanism's active roller and the first leveling mechanism's idler roller are tangent to each other, and the plane A formed by their axes is the same as the plane B formed by the surfaces of the second leveling mechanism's active roller and the second leveling mechanism's idler roller. The leveling rollers reverse-press and correct the bent card. At this time, the curved surface of the card that is reverse-bent maintains an angle of 88-92 degrees with plane A and plane B, respectively. Moreover, the axis where plane A and plane B intersect is the center of the curved surface of the card that is reverse-bent, so that the card that is reverse-bent does not have a point of inversion where the curvature is discontinuous due to the clamping rollers.

[0109] Preferably, the card handling speed is adjusted by controlling the rotation speed of the active rollers of the first leveling mechanism and the second leveling mechanism, thereby changing the leveling time of the card passing through the card leveling mechanism to meet the different degrees of card bending.

[0110] Alternatively, by controlling the forward and reverse rotation of the first and second leveling mechanism's active rollers, the number of times the card is moved back and forth within the card leveling mechanism can be controlled to accommodate different degrees of card bending.

[0111] The key design focus of this invention is:

[0112] The main feature is that by arranging the magnetic stripe information recording unit, the contact chip information recording unit, and the radio frequency chip information recording unit all around the card flipping unit, the card feeding path of cards that do not need to record electronic information is simplified. The card is directly transported to the transfer unit through the card flipping unit without flipping. This straight and streamlined card feeding path reduces the time of the printer's entire working cycle and improves work efficiency.

[0113] Secondly, the card supply unit includes a card inlet side cover and a detachable spare card storage box. When the card inlet side cover is placed horizontally, the cover idler roller and the card picking roller are arranged horizontally, and the spare card storage box can be placed on top of it. When the spare card storage box is removed, the card inlet side cover can be rotated to a vertical position. When the card inlet side cover is in the vertical position, the cover idler roller is located directly above the card picking roller. At this time, the inner common tangent plane of the card picking roller and the cover idler roller coincides with the transfer plane, and the opening is at the same height as the transfer plane. Cards are supplied one by one. The two supply methods are versatile and easy to use.

[0114] Furthermore, the output port of the card supply unit is located on the input port side of the card cleaning unit, ensuring that the card surface is cleaned before card printing, thereby improving the transfer yield.

[0115] Furthermore, a card feed sensor is installed between the card supply section and the card cleaning section. When the card feed sensor detects a card, the card picking roller moves the card into the card cleaning section in a first rotation direction. After the card has completely left the card feed sensor, the card picking roller will reverse from the first rotation direction to the second rotation direction to ensure that the card is not interfered with by a second card in the card reprinter and that no second card will be mistakenly inserted, causing printing errors.

[0116] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not constitute any limitation on the technical scope of the present invention. Therefore, any minor modifications, equivalent changes, and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A re-transfer card printer, comprising a printer housing, wherein the printer housing is provided with a card supply unit, and the printer housing is provided with a card cleaning unit, a card flipping unit, a magnetic stripe information recording unit, a contact chip information recording unit, a radio frequency chip information recording unit, a ribbon conveying unit, a transfer film conveying unit, a printing unit, a transfer unit, a card leveling mechanism, and a failed card receiving slot; characterized in that: The card supply unit includes a card picking roller with a high-friction coefficient rubber surface. The card picking roller is mounted on the printer chassis. The card supply unit also includes a spare card storage box for holding spare cards. The spare card storage box is detachably mounted on the printer chassis. The card output port of the spare card storage box is located above the card picking roller. The card supply unit also includes a card inlet side cover with the card picking roller as its rotation center. A door cover idler roller is located inside the card inlet side cover at a position tangent to the card picking roller. The door cover idler roller is assembled on the card inlet side cover, and there is an elastic floating arrangement between the door cover idler roller and the card picking roller. The card inlet side cover also has an opening for cards to pass through. When the card inlet side cover is placed horizontally, the cover idler roller and the card picking roller are arranged horizontally, and the spare card storage box can be placed on top of it. When the spare card storage box is removed, the card inlet side cover can be rotated to a vertical position. When the card inlet side cover is in a vertical position, the cover idler roller is located directly above the card picking roller. At this time, the inner common tangent plane of the card picking roller and the cover idler roller coincides with the transfer plane, and the opening is at the same height as the transfer plane. Cards are dispensed one by one. The output port of the card supply unit, the input and output ports of the card cleaning unit, the input and output ports of the card flipping unit, the input and output ports of the transfer unit, and the input and output ports of the card leveling mechanism are arranged sequentially and are all located on the same transfer plane. The magnetic stripe information recording section, the contact chip information recording section, and the radio frequency chip information recording section are all arranged around the card flipping section, and the ribbon conveying section, the transfer film conveying section, and the printing section are all located below the transfer plane. The magnetic stripe information recording section is located below the card cleaning section, and the card transport path plane of the magnetic stripe information recording section is the magnetic stripe information recording plane, which faces the card flipping section. The contact chip information recording part is located diagonally below the card flipping part on the side away from the card cleaning part. The card transport path plane of the contact chip information recording part is the contact chip information recording plane, and the contact chip information recording plane faces the card flipping part. The wireless radio frequency chip information recording part is located between the upper part of the contact chip information recording part and the lower part of the transfer plane, and the wireless radio frequency chip recording antenna plate plane of the wireless radio frequency chip information recording part is parallel to the transfer plane. The failed card receiving slot is located below the magnetic stripe information recording section. The failed card receiving slot is used to collect cards that fail during electronic information recording or cards whose transfer instructions are canceled.

2. The card reprinting printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The card flipping unit has two sets of card conveying rollers. Each set of conveying rollers consists of an active rubber roller and a passive roller that are axially parallel. The active rubber roller and the passive roller are elastically floating. Under appropriate pressure, the two wheel surfaces of the active rubber roller and the passive roller are tangent. There is a card conveying plane between the active rubber roller and the passive roller of the two sets of conveying rollers for card conveying. The input and output ports of the card conveying plane are located on the transfer plane. The axes of the two active rubber rollers are parallel to each other and the two active rubber rollers are located on the same side of the conveying plane.

3. A reprint card printer according to claim 2, characterized in that: The card flipping section also includes a card flipping section bracket, and two sets of conveying rollers are assembled on the card flipping section bracket. The card flipping section bracket has a flipper rotation axis, which is connected to the printer chassis. The flipper rotation axis is located on the card conveying plane of the card flipping section.

4. A reprint card printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The card cleaning unit includes an active cleaning roller and a passive cleaning roller. The rubber surface of the cleaning roller is a smooth surface with electrostatic adsorption. The axes of the active and passive cleaning rollers are parallel. The active and passive cleaning rollers are elastically floating, so that their surfaces press against each other and are tangent at the joint. A card cleaning plane is formed between the active and passive cleaning rollers and is located on the transfer plane. The card cleaning unit also includes a dust collection roller bracket and a dust collection roller mounted on the dust collection roller bracket. The dust collection roller is covered with double-sided adhesive for adhering to the adhering material that the active cleaning roller has picked up from the card.

5. A reprint card printer according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that: A card feed sensor is provided between the card supply section and the card cleaning section, and the card feed sensor is located above the transfer plane.

6. A reprint card printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ribbon conveying section is located below the card flipping section. The ribbon conveying section includes a ribbon, a ribbon supply rotating shaft, and a ribbon recycling rotating shaft. The ribbon conveying path of the ribbon conveying section is formed by the ribbon starting from the end of the ribbon supply rotating shaft, passing around multiple ribbon path guide bars, and then being wound and recycled by the ribbon recycling rotating shaft. The transfer film conveying section is located on the side of the ribbon conveying section away from the card supply section. The transfer film conveying section includes a transfer film, a transfer film supply shaft, and a transfer film recycling shaft. The transfer film conveying path of the transfer film conveying section is that the transfer film starts from the end of the transfer film supply shaft, passes around multiple transfer film path guide rods, and is then wound and recycled by the transfer film recycling shaft.

7. A reprint card printer according to claim 6, characterized in that: The printing unit includes a thermal printhead and a printing roller swing bracket. The thermal printhead is located in the area surrounded by the ribbon conveying path of the ribbon conveying unit. The thermal printhead has heating wires, and the plane of the heating wires faces the transfer film conveying unit. The printing roller swing bracket is located within the area surrounded by the transfer film conveying path. One end of the printing roller swing bracket is fixed to the printer chassis via an iron shaft, which serves as the swing rotation center of the printing roller swing bracket. A printing rubber roller is provided on the swing end of the printing roller swing bracket. A printing cam is provided on the printer chassis, and the rotation of the printing cam drives the swing of the printing roller swing bracket. The printing rubber roller on the printing roller swing bracket can swing towards the thermal printhead or swing away from the thermal printhead. The transfer section includes a heating roller module and a transfer rubber roller. The heating roller module is located in the area surrounded by the transfer film conveying path and is located between the printing roller swing bracket and the transfer plane. The transfer rubber roller is located above the heating roller module and is above the transfer plane.

8. A reprint card printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a completion card receiving slot, which is located on the output side of the card leveling mechanism.

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