Card reader and method of controlling the same

Abstract

A card reader and a control method thereof, which has a card locking mechanism having a locking member driven by a motor in order to prevent illegal extraction of a card, and in which a locking state of the card by the locking member can be manually released by rotating a knob, and breakage of the locking member and the motor due to excessive rotation of the knob is prevented. The locking member is formed with a blocking claw that contacts the card and prevents extraction of the card, and moves between a contact position in which the blocking claw contacts the card and a retreat position in which the blocking claw retreats from a transport path of the card, by being driven by the motor. After a first control in which the motor is driven to move the locking member to the contact position, when it is detected that the locking member moves to the retreat position, a tactile stimulation sequence in which the knob is subjected to a motion by driving the motor so as to tactilely alert an operator who is operating the knob is executed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a card reader with a card locking mechanism and a control method thereof. Background Technology

[0002] Card readers, which perform the reading of data recorded on cards and the writing of data to cards, are widely installed in upper-level devices such as ATMs. Card readers are threatened by crimes attempting to steal the card itself and the information recorded on it. One form of such crime is phishing fraud, where criminals intentionally obstruct the card reader, leaving it inside, and then illegally remove it. As a technology to prevent phishing fraud, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that provides a card locking mechanism on the card reader to prevent the illegal removal of the card. The card locking mechanism includes: an electric motor; a locking member having a locking claw that contacts the card and prevents it from being removed, and which moves between a contact position where the locking claw contacts the card and a retracted position where the locking claw retracts from the transport path by power transmitted from the electric motor; and a power transmission mechanism that transmits power from the electric motor to the locking member. The locking component is driven by a motor to move between an engaging position and a retracted position. However, during maintenance of the upper-level device or when a regular operator removes a card stuck in the card reader, it is sometimes necessary to release the locking component from the card. In this case, the card locking mechanism shown in Patent Document 1 includes a rotatable knob mechanically connected to the drive shaft (output shaft) of the motor. By rotating the knob with a finger, the locking component can also be moved to the retracted position. Furthermore, the card locking mechanism described in Patent Document 1 includes a sensor for detecting that the locking component is in the retracted position.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-224830 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The technical problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] In the card locking mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 1, the locking component can be moved by rotating a knob with a finger to the retracted position. However, excessive rotation of the knob may cause damage to the locking component and the motor.

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to provide a card reader and a control method for such a card reader, the card reader having a card locking mechanism with a locking member driven by a motor, and being able to manually release the locking member from the card by rotating a knob, and being able to prevent damage to the locking member and the motor caused by excessive rotation of the knob.

[0009] Technical solutions adopted to solve technical problems

[0010] A card reader according to one aspect of the present invention includes an insertion port for inserting and removing cards, a transport path for transporting cards inserted from the insertion port, and a card locking mechanism for preventing cards from being pulled out of the insertion port when a card is blocked in the transport path. The card locking mechanism comprises: a motor; a locking member having a locking claw that contacts the card and prevents the card from being pulled out, and which moves between a contact position where the locking claw contacts the card and a retracted position where the locking claw retracts from the transport path, driven by the motor; a knob mechanically connected to the output shaft of the motor; and a detection mechanism that detects that the locking member is in the retracted position. The card reader includes a control unit that controls the position of the locking member by driving the motor. After performing a first control to move the locking member to the contact position by driving the motor, the control unit executes a tactile stimulation sequence when the detection mechanism detects that the locking member has moved to the retracted position. The tactile stimulation sequence applies movement to the knob by driving the motor, tactilely alerting the operator operating the knob.

[0011] In this type of card reader, after controlling the locking component of the card locking mechanism to move to the contact position, when it is detected that the operator operates the knob with their finger and moves the locking component to the retracted position, a tactile stimulation sequence that applies movement to the knob is executed. As a result, the operator can identify the limits of the allowable range of knob rotation and prevent damage to the locking component and motor caused by excessive rotation of the knob.

[0012] In this type of card reader, the tactile stimulation sequence can, for example, include repeatedly rotating the motor forward at a predetermined angle and then rotating it backward at a predetermined angle. Because the knob vibrates in such a tactile stimulation sequence, the operator can reliably identify the sequence. Furthermore, in this case, if the motor is a stepper motor, then simply controlling the motor to rotate forward and backward repeatedly in predetermined steps suffices, making the control for executing the tactile stimulation sequence easy.

[0013] In this type of card reader, the tactile stimulation sequence can also include a sequence in which the motor is rotated at a slower speed than the rotational speed of the motor in the first control in the direction that moves the locking member toward the contact position. With this tactile stimulation sequence, the locking member moves slowly toward the contact position, thus more reliably preventing over-rotation of the knob.

[0014] In this type of card reader, the detection mechanism can also consist of a shielding component linked to the locking component and a sensor whose optical path is blocked by the shielding component. With such a detection mechanism, it is possible to reliably detect that the locking component is in the retracted position with a simple structure.

[0015] In this type of card reader, the preferred control unit performs first control when it detects a card blockage in the transport path. This prevents so-called phishing scams.

[0016] Another control method of the present invention is a control method for a card reader, the card reader having an insertion port for inserting and removing cards, a transport path for transporting cards inserted from the insertion port, and a card locking mechanism for preventing cards from being pulled out of the insertion port when a card is blocked in the transport path, characterized in that the card locking mechanism has: a motor; a locking member having a blocking claw that contacts the card and prevents the card from being pulled out, and being moved by the motor between a contact position where the blocking claw contacts the card and a retracted position where the blocking claw retracts from the transport path; and a knob mechanically connected to the output shaft of the motor, wherein after a first control is performed to drive the motor to move the locking member to the contact position, when the locking member is detected to have moved to the retracted position, a tactile stimulation sequence is executed, the tactile stimulation sequence applying movement to the knob by driving the motor, thereby tactilely alerting the operator operating the knob.

[0017] In this control method, after controlling the locking component of the card locking mechanism to move to the contact position, when it is detected that the operator operates the knob with their finger and moves the locking component to the retracted position, a tactile stimulation sequence that applies movement to the knob is executed. As a result, the operator can identify the limits of the allowable range of rotation of the knob and prevent damage to the locking component or motor caused by excessive rotation of the knob.

[0018] In this control method, the tactile stimulation sequence includes a sequence of repeatedly rotating the motor in the forward direction by a predetermined angle and then rotating it in the reverse direction by a predetermined angle. Because the knob vibrates in such a tactile stimulation sequence, the operator can reliably identify the tactile stimulation sequence.

[0019] Furthermore, in the control method of the present invention, the tactile stimulation sequence may also include a sequence in which the motor is rotated at a slower speed than the rotational speed of the motor in the first control in the direction that moves the locking member toward the contact position. With this tactile stimulation sequence, the locking member moves slowly toward the contact position, thus more reliably preventing excessive rotation of the knob.

[0020] In this control method, it is preferable to perform the first control when a blockage of the card in the delivery path is detected. This prevents so-called phishing scams.

[0021] The effects of the invention

[0022] According to the present invention, in a card reader having a card locking mechanism with a locking member driven by an electric motor and capable of manually releasing the locking state of the card by rotating a knob, damage to the locking member and the electric motor caused by excessive rotation of the knob can be prevented. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the general structure of a card reader according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a side view showing the structure of the card locking mechanism.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional diagram showing the structure of the card locking mechanism.

[0026] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional diagram showing the power transmission mechanism in the card locking mechanism.

[0027] Figure 5 This diagram illustrates the actions of the locking and shielding components.

[0028] Figure 6 This is a block diagram showing the circuit structure of a card reader.

[0029] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the actions of the card reader.

[0030] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0031] 1…card reader; 2…card; 3…insertion part; 4…main body; 6…card locking mechanism; 31…insertion port; 41…conveying path; 50…control circuit; 64…motor; 64a…rotating shaft; 65…locking component; 66…drive transmission mechanism; 68…helical gear; 69…spur gear; 70…worm gear; 71…knob; 72, 73, 75…spur gear; 74, 78…rotating shaft; 76, 92…fixed shaft; 85…locking plate; 85a, 85b…stopping claw; 87…guide pin; 89…guide groove; 90…retreat detection sensor; 91…shielding component; 91a…cam groove. Detailed Implementation

[0032] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the general structure of a card reader according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1The card reader 1 shown performs various processes on cards 2, such as magnetic stripe cards and IC cards, including at least one of reading and writing data. The card reader 1 has the same mechanical structure as that disclosed in Patent Document 1, and can be assembled, for example, into a higher-level device such as an ATM.

[0033] The card reader 1 includes an insertion section 3 for a user to insert a card 2, and a main body 4 connected to the insertion section 3, which introduces the card 2 inserted into the insertion section 3 and performs various processes on the card 2. The insertion section 3 has an opening, namely an insertion port 31, for actually inserting and discharging the card 2, and is equipped with an insertion detection sensor 32 for detecting whether the card 2 is inserted into the insertion section 3 through the insertion port 31. The insertion detection sensor 32 may be, for example, a sensor that detects the insertion of the card 2 by the card 2 blocking the light path between the light-emitting part and the light-receiving part, or other types of sensors. Inside the main body 4 are a transport path 41 for transporting the card 2 during processing, a transport roller 42 provided along the transport path 41 for transporting the card 2, a magnetic head 43 provided approximately at the center of the length direction of the transport path 41, and multiple card detection sensors 45 provided along the transport path 41 for detecting objects such as the card 2. The transport roller 1 is powered by a transport motor 52 (see reference). Figure 6 Driven by the rotation of the conveyor motor 52, the conveyor rollers 42 also rotate, thereby conveying the card 2 within the main body 4 in the left-right direction shown in the figure. The illustrated structure includes three pairs of conveyor rollers 42 and three card detection sensors 45. For example, the card detection sensors 45 can be optical sensors that detect objects by blocking their light path, or capacitive sensors that detect changes in electrostatic capacitance.

[0034] Furthermore, the main body 4 includes a card locking mechanism 6, which is positioned above the conveying path 41 to prevent the card 2 from being pulled out of the insertion port 31 when it becomes blocked (stuck) in the conveying path 41. The card locking mechanism 6 also prevents the card 2 from being pulled out of the insertion port 31 when, for example, when a gate (not shown) installed in the insertion port 31 is detected to be pried open, when the card 2 is detected to be forcibly moved from the outside in the conveying path 41, or when various sensors installed in the conveying path 41 detect abnormal changes. The card locking mechanism 6 includes a locking member 65, which has a blocking claw that protrudes into the conveying path 41 to contact the card 2 and prevent the card 2 from being pulled out. The locking member 65 is configured to move between a contact position where the blocking claw contacts the card 2 and a retracted position where the blocking claw retracts from the conveying path 41. Figure 1 The case of the locking component 65 in the contact position is described.

[0035] The card locking mechanism 6 used in the card reader 1 of this embodiment is the same as the card locking mechanism used in the card reader shown as "Embodiment 2" in Patent Document 1, and its detailed structure is as described in Patent Document 1. The contents of Patent Document 1 are incorporated herein by reference. Figure 2 This is a side view of the card locking mechanism 6. Figure 3 This is a 3D view of the card locking mechanism 6. Figure 4 This is a perspective view showing the power transmission mechanism (drive transmission mechanism) 66 in the card locking mechanism 6, which is the structure disclosed in Patent Document 1 (with changes to symbols, etc.). Figure 4 The knob 71 mounted on the rotating shaft (output shaft) 64a of the motor 64 is not shown. The card locking mechanism 6 will be described below. In the following description, the left-right direction refers to the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the card 2 within the conveying surface of the card 2 in the conveying path 41, i.e., the width direction of the conveying path 41. The height direction refers to the direction orthogonal to the conveying surface of the card 2 in the conveying path 41. When referring to the front side (near the front) and the inner side, the side closer to the insertion port 31 along the conveying direction of the card 2 is the front side (near the front), and the side farther from the insertion port 31 is the inner side.

[0036] In addition to the locking member 65, the locking mechanism 6 also includes a motor 64 for driving the locking member 65 and a power transmission mechanism 16 for transmitting power from the motor 64 to the locking member 65 in order to move the locking member 65 between the contact position and the retracted position. The locking member 65 is composed of two locking plates 85 formed in the shape of flat plates, which are arranged in the left-right direction with their thickness direction facing left-right. Two blocking claws 85a and 85b are formed on each locking plate 85 to contact the card 2 and prevent the card 2 from being pulled out, and a sector gear 85c is formed to mesh with the spur gear 75 described later.

[0037] The front end portion of the locking plate 85 is rotatably held on the fixed shaft 76, which is fixed to the support frame of the locking mechanism 6 and extends in the left-right direction. Anti-claws 85a and 85b are formed on the lower end side of the locking plate 85, positioned inwards from the fixed shaft 76. Anti-claw 85a is positioned inwards from the anti-claw 85b. Anti-claws 85a and 85b are triangular in shape, their width narrowing towards the front end when viewed from the left-right direction, with a pointed front end. A sector gear 85c is formed on the inner end side of the locking plate 85. The locking member 65 is positioned on the upper side of the transport path 41 such that the anti-claws 85a and 85b contact the card 2 from above. As described above, the locking member 65 is driven by the electric motor 64 via the power transmission mechanism 16, and can move between a contact position where the anti-claws 85a and 85b contact the card 2 and a retracted position where the anti-claws 85a and 85b retract from the transport path 41. In the retracted position, the preventer claws 85a and 85b move above the transport path 41, so the preventer claws 85a and 85b will not come into contact with the card 2.

[0038] The power transmission mechanism 66, which transmits power from the electric motor 64 to the locking member 65, will be described. The electric motor 64 is mounted with its output shaft 64a axially oriented in the height direction. The power transmission mechanism 66 has a worm gear 70, which consists of a helical gear 68 mounted on the output shaft 64a of the electric motor 64 and a helical gear 69 meshing with the helical gear 68. The helical gear 69 is mounted on a rotating shaft 78, which extends in the left-right direction. A spur gear 72 is mounted on this rotating shaft 78. A spur gear 73 meshes with the spur gear 72. The spur gear 73 is mounted on a rotating shaft 74 via a pin clutch (not shown). The rotating shaft 74 also extends in the left-right direction, and a spur gear 75 that meshes with the aforementioned sector gear 85c of the locking plate 85 is also mounted on the rotating shaft 74. By using such a drive transmission mechanism 66, the rotation of the electric motor 64 is transmitted to the rotating shaft 74, and then to the sector gear 85c of the locking plate 85 via the spur gear 75 mounted on the rotating shaft 74. As a result, the locking member 65 rotates about the fixed shaft 76 according to the rotation direction of the motor 64, and moves from the retracted position to the contact position or from the contact position to the retracted position. When the locking member 65 moves to the contact position, it prevents the pawls 85a and 85b from moving downward, and when it moves to the retracted position, it prevents the pawls 85a and 85b from moving upward.

[0039] Guide pins 87 protruding to the left and right sides are fixed to the locking component 65. The guide pins 87 engage with guide grooves 89 formed on the frame of the locking mechanism 6. The locking component 65 is guided by the guide grooves 89 and the guide pins 87, and moves between an engaging position and a retracted position. Figure 2As shown, when the locking member 65 is in the contact position, the blocking claw 85a protrudes inward and downward, and the blocking claw 85b protrudes forward and downward. Since either the blocking claw 85a or 85b is formed into a triangular shape with a pointed tip, when a pull-out force is applied to the card 2 in the contact state of the blocking claws 85a and 85b, a force is generated on the locking member 65. Figure 2 The counterclockwise rotational force prevents the tip of the claw 85a from inserting into the lock 2. On the other hand, when an inward pressing force is applied to the lock 2, which is in a state of preventing the claws 85a and 85b from contacting, a force is generated in the locking member 65. Figure 2 The clockwise rotational force prevents the tip of the claw 85b from piercing the card 2. This prevents the card 2, which is blocked in the conveying path 41, from being pulled out of the insertion port 31. As can be seen from this description, once the locking member 65 moves to the contact position, it maintains this position even without driving the motor 64 (i.e., without generating torque). As the card 2 moves, it prevents either claw 85a or 85b from piercing the card 2, thus preventing the card 2 from being pulled out through the insertion port 31.

[0040] Furthermore, the locking mechanism 6 includes a detection mechanism for detecting that the locking member 65 is in the retracted position. This detection mechanism consists of a retraction detection sensor 90 and a shielding member 91. The retraction detection sensor 90 is, for example, a transmissive optical sensor having a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element that receives light from the light-emitting element, and is fixed to the support frame of the locking mechanism 6 via a sensor substrate 93. The shielding member 91 is a plate-shaped member whose thickness direction is aligned with the left-right direction, and is rotatably held on a fixed shaft 92 fixed to the support frame of the locking mechanism 6 in a manner that moves in a plane orthogonal to the left-right direction in conjunction with the locking member 65. A cam groove 91a is formed in the shielding member 91 through which the front end of a guide pin 87 provided on the locking member 65 is inserted, thereby causing the shielding member 91 to move in conjunction with the locking member 65. Specifically, the shielding member 91 rotates about the fixed shaft 92 as the locking member 65 rotates about the fixed shaft 76. The retraction detection sensor 90 is configured to cover the range of movement of the shielding member 91 caused by rotation. When the locking member 65 is in the retraction position, the shielding member 91 blocks light from the light-emitting element of the retraction detection sensor 90 toward the light-receiving element. Thus, the card reader 1 can detect when the locking member 65 is in the retraction position.

[0041] Figure 5 This diagram illustrates the detection of whether the locking component 65, described herein, is in the retracted position. Figure 5 In, with Figures 2 to 4 Compared to the structure shown, the shape of the shielding component 91 and the mounting position of the retraction detection sensor 90 on the support frame are different, but the detection principle for whether it is a retraction position is the same. Figure 5The structure shown and Figures 2 to 4 The structures shown are the same. Figure 5 As shown, as the locking member 65 moves from the contact position to the retraction position by rotating counterclockwise about the fixed axis 76, the shielding member 91 rotates clockwise about the fixed axis 92, resulting in the front end of the shielding member 91 blocking the optical path of the retraction detection sensor 90.

[0042] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, in the card locking mechanism 6, a knob 71 for manually rotating the output shaft 64a of the motor 64 is fixed to the upper end of the helical gear 68, and the knob 71 is mechanically connected to the output shaft 64a of the motor 64. In the card reader 1 of this embodiment, the locking member 65 of the card locking mechanism 6 moves between the contact state and the retracted state by power from the motor 64. Therefore, by controlling the motor 64, the locking member 65 can be moved from the contact position to the retracted position. However, when a card 2 becomes blocked in the card reader 1 and a regular operator removes the card 2, it is sometimes necessary to manually retract the locking member 65. The knob 71 is provided for retracting the locking member 65 by manually releasing it from the contact state. By rotating the knob 71 in the direction of the arrow engraved on the knob 71, the rotation shaft 64a of the motor 64 also rotates, and the locking member 65 can be retracted.

[0043] Figure 6 This is a block diagram showing the electrical structure of the card reader 1 according to this embodiment. As part of the electrical structure, the card reader 1 includes a control circuit (control unit) 50 that controls the operation of the card reader 1 and performs data input / output with a host device, a read / write circuit 51 disposed between the magnetic head 43 and the control circuit 50, and a conveyor motor 52 that drives the conveyor roller 42. Commands from the host device are also input to the control circuit 50. The detection outputs of the card detection sensor 45, the insertion detection sensor 32, and the retraction detection sensor 90 are input to the control circuit 50. The control circuit 50 performs data reading and writing on the card 2 via the read / write circuit 51 and the magnetic head 43, and controls the conveyor motor 53 and the aforementioned motor 64 disposed on the card locking mechanism 6.

[0044] When card 2 is processed by card reader 1, card 2 is sucked into main body 4 and transported along transport path 41 inside main body 4 according to the processing content. Card 2 needs to be in transport when data is read and written via magnetic head 43. Control circuit 50 drives transport motor 52 according to a predetermined processing sequence, causing card 2 to move within card reader 1. However, sometimes the driving content of transport motor 52 contradicts the actual detection results from card detection sensor 45 and card insertion sensor 31. For example, although transport motor 52 is driven to move card 2 closer to the front along transport path 41, sometimes card 2 is detected by the inner card detection sensor 45 but not by the front card detection sensor 45. In this case, it can be determined that card 2 is blocked in transport path 41. Alternatively, card detection sensor 45 can be omitted, and a dedicated sensor for detecting card 2 blockage can be provided, using the detection output from that sensor to determine whether card 2 is blocked. When the control circuit 50 determines that a blockage of the card 2 has occurred in the transport path 41, it drives the motor 64 to move the locking member 65 to the contact position. As a result, the movement of the card 2 is prevented by the locking member 65, thus preventing the card 2 from being improperly pulled out through the insertion port 31.

[0045] After the locking member 65 is moved to the contact position, the control circuit 50 drives the motor 64 to move the locking member 65 to the retracted position when there is an instruction input from a host device or the like. Alternatively, even without instruction input, the operator can return the locking member 65 to the retracted position by rotating the knob 71 of the card locking mechanism 6 with their finger. However, if the knob 71 is rotated excessively when the locking member 65 is in the retracted position by rotating the knob 71 with a finger, damage to the locking member 65, the motor 64, and the drive transmission mechanism 66 may occur. Therefore, in the card reader 1 of this embodiment, to prevent excessive rotation of the knob 71, if excessive rotation of the knob 71 occurs when the operator operates the knob 71, the control circuit 50 drives the motor 64 to provide a tactile signal to the operator via the knob 71 to alert the operator. More specifically, after the drive motor 64 moves the locking member 65 to the contact position, the control circuit 50 executes a tactile stimulation sequence to cause the locking member 65 to vibrate or slowly rotate the knob 71 when the retraction detection sensor 90 detects that the locking member 65 has moved to the retraction position, even without any instruction input from the host device or the like.

[0046] Regarding the rotation direction of the motor 64, the direction of rotation that moves the locking member 65 towards the contact position is designated as the positive direction, and the direction of rotation that moves it towards the retracted position is designated as the negative direction. A specific tactile stimulation sequence is a sequence that repeatedly drives the motor 64 forward by a predetermined angle, and then drives it in the opposite direction by the same angle. If the motor 64 is a stepper motor, it is sufficient to drive the motor 64 forward one or more steps, and then drive it in the opposite direction with the same number of steps. If such a tactile stimulation sequence is implemented, the knob 71 vibrates by rotating alternately by a small angle in both the positive and negative directions. This vibration of the knob 71 can be felt by the operator operating the knob 71 with their fingers, alerting them to the risk of over-rotating the knob 71. Another tactile stimulation sequence involves rotating the motor 64 forward at a speed lower than the speed at which the locking member 65 actually moves to the contact position. This rotation of the knob 71 is also perceived by the operator's touch. Here, the rotation speed is set low to ensure the safety of the operator. Furthermore, the aforementioned vibration and slow rotation in the positive direction can be combined to repeatedly generate vibration at a fixed time, followed by slow rotation of motor 64 in the positive direction at another fixed time. Although an example of a tactile stimulation sequence has been described here, any tactile stimulation sequence can be used as long as it generates tactilely perceptible motion for the operator by driving motor 64 at knob 71.

[0047] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the card reader 1 and the processes performed by the control circuit 50 in conjunction with the locking member 65. In the initial state, the locking member 65 is in the retracted position, allowing the card 2 to be inserted into the card reader 1 via the insertion port 31 and ejected from the card reader 1. In step 101, the control circuit 50 determines whether a blockage of the card 2 in the transport path 41 has occurred based on the drive state of the transport motor 52 and the detection outputs of the card detection sensor 45 and the insertion detection sensor 32. If no blockage is detected, step 101 is repeated directly. On the other hand, if a blockage is detected, the control circuit 50 drives the motor 64 in step 102 to move the locking member 65 to the contact position. Then, in step 103, it determines whether there is an input command from a higher-level device to move the locking member 65 to the retracted position. If there is an input command from a higher-level device, the control circuit 50 drives the motor 64 in step 104 to move the locking member 65 to the retracted position, and then ends the series of processes.

[0048] If no instruction from the host device is input in step 103, the control circuit 50 determines in step 105 whether the locking member 65 has been detected moving to the retracted position by the retraction detection sensor 90. If no movement to the retracted position is detected, the control circuit 50 repeatedly performs the processing starting from step 103. On the other hand, if movement to the retracted position is detected in step 105, the control circuit 50 repeatedly performs the processing starting from step 105 based on the tactile stimulation sequence described above. As a result, when the operator operates the knob 71 with their finger to move the locking member 65 to the retracted position, the continuous execution of the tactile stimulation sequence can remind the operator to pay attention to excessive rotation of the knob 71. As described above, the control circuit 50 is, for example, composed of a microprocessor, therefore the processing described herein can be implemented in the card reader 1 via firmware.

[0049] According to the card reader 1 of this embodiment described above, when the operator operates the knob 71, which is mechanically connected to the rotation shaft 64a of the motor 64 of the card locking mechanism 6, to release the locked state of the card 2 (the locking member 65 is in the contact position), by executing a tactile stimulation sequence that applies movement to the knob 71, the operator can be alerted to excessive rotation of the knob 71, and damage to the card locking mechanism 6, including the locking member 65, and the motor 64 caused by excessive rotation of the knob 71 can be prevented.

Claims

1. A card reader comprising an insertion port for inserting and removing a card, a transport path for transporting a card inserted through the insertion port, and a card locking mechanism for preventing the card from being removed from the insertion port when the card obstructs the transport path, characterized in that, The card locking mechanism has the following features: Electric motor; A locking component having a locking claw that contacts the card and prevents the card from being pulled out, and being driven by the motor to move between a contact position where the locking claw contacts the card and a retraction position where the locking claw retracts from the transport path; A knob, the knob being mechanically connected to the output shaft of the electric motor; and The testing mechanism detects that the locking component is in the retracted position. The card reader includes a control unit that controls the position of the locking component by driving the motor. After the control unit performs the first control to drive the motor to move the locking member to the contact position, when the detection mechanism detects that the locking member has moved to the retracted position, that is, when the locking member is released from the state of preventing the card from being pulled out, the control unit executes a tactile stimulation sequence. The tactile stimulation sequence applies movement to the knob by driving the motor to tactilely alert the operator who is operating the knob.

2. The card reader according to claim 1, wherein, The tactile stimulation sequence includes repeatedly rotating the motor forward at a predetermined angle and then rotating it backward at the same predetermined angle.

3. The card reader according to claim 2, wherein, The motor is a stepper motor.

4. The card reader according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The tactile stimulation sequence includes a sequence in which the motor is rotated at a slower speed than the rotational speed of the motor in the first control in a direction that causes the locking member to move toward the contact position.

5. The card reader according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The detection mechanism has a shielding component that is linked to the locking component and a sensor whose optical path is blocked by the shielding component.

6. The card reader according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The control unit executes the first control when it detects a blockage of the card in the delivery path.

7. A control method for a card reader, the card reader having an insertion port for inserting and removing cards, a transport path for transporting cards inserted from the insertion port, and a card locking mechanism for preventing the card from being pulled out of the insertion port when the card is blocked in the transport path, characterized in that, The card locking mechanism includes: an electric motor; a locking component having a locking claw that contacts the card and prevents the card from being pulled out, and being driven by the electric motor to move between a contact position where the locking claw contacts the card and a retraction position where the locking claw retracts from the transport path; and a knob mechanically connected to the output shaft of the electric motor. After the first control is performed to drive the motor to move the locking member to the contact position, when the locking member is detected to have moved to the retracted position, i.e., when the locking member is detected to have released the state preventing the card from being pulled out, a tactile stimulation sequence is executed. The tactile stimulation sequence applies movement to the knob by driving the motor to tactilely alert the operator who is operating the knob.

8. The control method according to claim 7, wherein, The tactile stimulation sequence includes repeatedly rotating the motor forward at a predetermined angle and then rotating it backward at the same predetermined angle.

9. The control method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein, The tactile stimulation sequence is a sequence in which the motor is rotated at a slower speed than the rotational speed of the motor in the first control in a direction that causes the locking member to move toward the contact position.

10. The control method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein, When a blockage of the card in the delivery path is detected, the first control is executed.

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