Card reader and card pull-out detection method

Abstract

The invention provides a motor conveying type card reader which detects that a card is pulled out during insertion. A card 2 is inserted into the insertion opening S. The gate sensor 50 detects that the card 2 is inserted into the insertion port S. The conveyance path C conveys the card 2 inserted from the insertion opening S. The conveying part comprises a driving part (20) such as a motor and conveys the card (2) in a conveying path (C). The transport detection sensor detects the card 2 transported on the transport path C. The control unit 10 rotates the drive unit 20 in the first direction for a specific time and then rotates the drive unit 20 in the second direction for a specific time when the gate sensor 50 is turned on and the transport detection sensor is changed to be turned off, turned on, and turned off. When the load for rotating the drive unit (20) in the direction in which the card (2) moves toward the insertion opening (S) is less than the load for rotating the drive unit (20) in the reverse direction, it is determined that the card (2) is pulled out during insertion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention particularly relates to a card reader for reading a card and a card removal detection method. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there are card readers / writers (hereinafter referred to as "card readers") that read and write information from a card-shaped medium (hereinafter referred to as "card"). The card reader includes a magnetic head that writes magnetic information to the card, a sensor that detects the position of the card in the conveyance path, and the like.

[0003] As an example of a conventional card reader, referring to patent document 1, a card reader is described, which is a manual card processing device in which a user manually operates a card, wherein the card reader comprises: a card insertion portion for inserting a card; a card accommodating portion for accommodating the card with the rear end of the inserted card exposed from the card insertion portion; a reading portion for reading recorded information of the card accommodated in the card accommodating portion; a first detection portion for detecting that a card has been inserted from the card insertion portion to the card accommodating portion; a second detection portion, which is arranged at a position further back than the first detection portion in the card insertion direction and detects that a card has been inserted; and a status monitoring portion for detecting improper behavior based on the detection relationship of the card in the first detection portion and the second detection portion.

[0004] On the other hand, there are also motor-transport type card readers that transport the card by a drive unit such as a motor. In such motor-transport type card readers, when the card insertion unit detects the card, the drive unit inserts the card into the transport path and reads it.

[0005] Prior art literature

[0006] Patent Literature

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-055573 Summary of the invention

[0008] Technical problems that the invention needs to solve

[0009] Here, even in a motor-feed type card reader, there is a case where the user may pull out the card while it is inserted for some reason.

[0010] In such a case, an error occurs by status monitoring like that of the card reader described in Patent Document 1, and it is necessary to call a service person.

[0011] The present invention has been made in consideration of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a motor-transport type card reader that detects when a card that is being inserted is pulled out by a user.

[0012] Technical solutions adopted to solve technical problems

[0013] A card reader according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: an insertion port for inserting a card; an insertion detection sensor for detecting the insertion of the card into the insertion port; a conveying path for conveying the card inserted from the insertion port; a conveying unit comprising a driving unit for conveying the card in the conveying path; a conveying detection sensor for detecting the card conveyed in the conveying path; and a control unit for rotating the driving unit in a first direction for a specific time after rotating the driving unit in a second direction for the specific time when the insertion detection sensor is on and the conveying detection sensor changes to off, on, and off, and when a load for rotating the driving unit in a direction in which the card moves toward the insertion port is less than a load for rotating the driving unit in a reverse direction, determining that the card has been pulled out during insertion.

[0014] With this configuration, it is possible to detect that the inserted card has been removed by the user.

[0015] In a card reader of one embodiment of the present invention, the control unit calculates the acceleration time to reach the target speed, whether there is stall during acceleration, and the torque output of the drive unit after the acceleration is completed during the rotation time in the first direction and the rotation time in the second direction to make the judgment.

[0016] With this configuration, it is possible to reliably determine whether a card that is being inserted has been removed or an abnormality has occurred.

[0017] In the card reader according to one aspect of the present invention, the first direction is a forward direction for conveying the card in an insertion direction, and the second direction is a reverse direction for conveying the card in an ejection direction.

[0018] With this configuration, it is possible to reliably detect that a load is applied to the driving unit due to the removal.

[0019] In a card reader involved in one embodiment of the present invention, when any one of the following conditions is further generated as the judgment condition: the acceleration time in the forward direction is greater than the value obtained by adding an acceleration threshold to the acceleration time in the reverse direction; there is a stall during the acceleration in the forward direction; the torque output of the drive unit after the acceleration in the forward direction is greater than the value obtained by adding a torque threshold to the torque output of the drive unit after the acceleration in the reverse direction is completed; and the torque output of the drive unit reaches a limit value after the acceleration in the forward direction is completed, the control unit determines that the card has been pulled out during insertion.

[0020] With this configuration, it is possible to reliably detect that the card has been pulled out during insertion.

[0021] In a card reader involved in one embodiment of the present invention, when any one of the following conditions is further generated as the judgment condition: the acceleration time in the reversing direction becomes greater than the value obtained by adding an acceleration threshold to the acceleration time in the forward direction; the torque output of the drive unit after the acceleration in the reversing direction is greater than the value obtained by adding a torque threshold to the torque output of the drive unit after the acceleration in the forward direction is completed; and the torque output of the drive unit reaches a limit value after the acceleration in the reversing direction is completed, the control unit determines that the card has not been removed during insertion.

[0022] With this configuration, it is possible to reliably detect the occurrence of an abnormality other than the card being pulled out during insertion.

[0023] A card removal detection method according to one embodiment of the present invention is performed by a card reader, wherein the card reader comprises: an insertion port for inserting a card; an insertion detection sensor for detecting the insertion of the card into the insertion port; a conveying path for conveying the card inserted from the insertion port; a conveying unit including a driving unit for conveying the card in the conveying path; and a conveying detection sensor for detecting the card conveyed in the conveying path. In the card removal detection method, the card reader, when the insertion detection sensor is on, when the conveying detection sensor changes to off, on, and off, causes the driving unit to rotate in a first direction for a specific time and in a second direction for a specific time. When a load for rotating the driving unit in a direction in which the card moves toward the insertion port is less than a load for rotating the driving unit in a reverse direction, it is determined that the card has been removed during insertion.

[0024] With this configuration, it is possible to detect that the inserted card has been removed by the user.

[0025] Effects of the Invention

[0026] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a motor-transport type card reader can be provided, in which, when the insertion detection sensor is in the on state, when the transport detection sensor changes to off, on, and off, the drive unit is rotated in a first direction for a specific time and then in a second direction for a specific time. When the load for rotating the drive unit in the direction in which the card is moved toward the insertion port is less than the load for rotating the drive unit in the opposite direction, it is determined that the card has been pulled out during insertion, thereby detecting the situation in which the inserted card has been pulled out by the user. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] [ Figure 1 ] is a system structure diagram of an implementation method of the card reader of the present invention.

[0028] [ Figure 2]yes Figure 1 A generally side cross-sectional view of a card reader is shown.

[0029] [ Figure 3 ] is a flowchart of the card removal detection process involved in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] [ Figure 4 ]yes Figure 3 A conceptual diagram of the card removal detection process shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] <Implementation Method>

[0032] [Structure of the card reader 1]

[0033] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 , an example of the structure in the embodiment of the card reader 1 of the present invention is described.

[0034] In this embodiment, the card reader 1 is an example of a card reader connected to an ATM, a kiosk terminal, a transportation agency's ticketing system, a points card issuing system of a convenience store, a membership card issuing system of a retail store, a card issuing / payment system of a game machine, an entry and exit management system, etc. (hereinafter referred to as "ATM, etc.").

[0035] First, according to Figure 1 The control structure of the card reader 1 will be described.

[0036] The card reader 1 is, for example, a motor-transported (automatic) card reader / writer device that can read (read) and write (write) information to the card 2. In this case, the card reader 1 reads and writes magnetic signals to the card 2 in order to use the card 2 for settlement, etc. In addition, the card reader 1 can also encrypt or decrypt the read or written information.

[0037] The card reader 1 according to the present embodiment is connected to a host device 3 and reads and writes data to the card 2 in accordance with instructions from the host device 3. The card reader 1 can be connected to the host device 3 via, for example, USB (Universal Serial Bus) or RS-232C.

[0038] Card 2 is a contact or contactless IC card and / or a magnetic card having a magnetic stripe capable of magnetic recording. Card 2 is, for example, a rectangular card made of vinyl chloride with a thickness of about 0.7 to 0.8 mm. A magnetic stripe for recording magnetic data is formed on card 2, for example. In addition, an IC chip may also be built into card 2, for example. In the above case, both the IC and the magnetic stripe may also be provided on card 2. In addition, card 2 may also be a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) card with a thickness of about 0.18 to 0.36 mm, a paper card of a specified thickness, etc. Card 2 stores information of user P, monetary value information, etc.

[0039] The host device 3 is an embedded PC (Embedded Personal Computer) such as an ATM, an FC (Factory Computer), a server, or the like.

[0040] In the present embodiment, the host device 3 includes a touch panel display and the like operated by the user P, controls the card reader 1 , and issues instructions for settlement or issuance of the card 2 .

[0041] Furthermore, the card reader 1 according to this embodiment may include an IC contact block for reading and writing IC information of an IC card, an RF (Radio Frequency) antenna corresponding to reading and writing information of a contactless IC card, an electromagnetic induction antenna and its circuit, and the like.

[0042] In addition, the card reader 1 may also include a card printer unit such as a ribbon thermal transfer printer, an inkjet printer, a dot matrix printer, an engraving device, etc., which prints on the card 2 in color or black and white.

[0043] Furthermore, the card reader 1 may include an image reader (scanner) that optically reads photos, characters, etc. optically recorded on the card 2 .

[0044] Furthermore, the card reader 1 may store a plurality of cards 2 and be connected to a card hopper or the like that delivers the stored cards 2 to the card reader 1 .

[0045] Furthermore, the card reader 1 may be connected to a collection storage for collecting the cards 2 , a crusher for crushing the collected cards 2 , or the like.

[0046] Next, the control structure of the card reader 1 will be described in more detail.

[0047] The card reader 1 mainly includes a control unit 10 , a transport unit 11 , a pre-head 12 , a shutter mechanism 13 , a sensor group 15 , and a magnetic head 14 .

[0048] The control unit 10 controls the entire card reader 1. The control unit 10 is, for example, a control calculation unit including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), and the like.

[0049] The control unit 10 includes a non-transitory recording medium such as a non-volatile ROM (Read Only Memory) and a volatile RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0050] The ROM is a non-volatile memory that stores data and control programs required for various operations of the card reader 1. In addition, the ROM may be a rewritable non-temporary recording medium such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM) or a flash memory (Flash Memory). In the present embodiment, the ROM may store characteristic values, acceleration thresholds, stall thresholds, torque thresholds, and limit values ​​and other set values ​​related to the motor output characteristics of the drive unit 20 described later as data.

[0051] When the control unit 10 executes the program stored in the ROM, the RAM is used as a work area, etc. The RAM stores temporary data such as the detection status of each sensor of the sensor group 15, time series data of encoder values, torque output data, etc., historical data of the processing performed by the control unit 10 so far, and communication data with the host device 3.

[0052] The control unit 10 executes processing based on the control program and data stored in the ROM, thereby controlling each unit of the card reader 1.

[0053] In addition, in the present embodiment, the control unit 10 can calculate the torque output of the driving unit 20 based on the duty ratio (Duty) and the like when the driving unit 20 of the conveying unit 11 is subjected to PWM control.

[0054] The conveying unit 11 includes a driving unit 20, which is a conveying path C ( Figure 2 ) is a mechanism for transporting card 2 inside.

[0055] The transport unit 11 will be described in detail later.

[0056] The pre-head 12 is a magnetic head or the like used only to detect when a card other than the card 2 of the user P is inserted into the card reader 1. The pre-head 12 is arranged inside a card insertion portion constituting the front end side portion of the card reader 1.

[0057] The shutter mechanism 13 is a mechanism for driving a shutter member for preventing external dust and foreign matter from entering. The shutter mechanism 13 is, for example, arranged at the card insertion portion of the card reader 1. The shutter mechanism 13 moves the shutter member between a closed position for closing the conveying path C and an open position for opening the conveying path C by the power of a solenoid (not shown).

[0058] The magnetic head 14 is a magnetic head for reading and writing on the card 2 transported by the transport unit 11 .

[0059] The magnetic head 14 involved in this embodiment writes new magnetic data to the magnetic stripe or reads the recorded magnetic data by contacting and sliding with the magnetic stripe formed on the card 2. Therefore, a demodulation IC is connected to the magnetic head 14, and the demodulation IC is a demodulation electronic component that demodulates the output analog output signal to generate a digital demodulation signal, and is connected to the control unit 10 via the demodulation IC.

[0060] Furthermore, the magnetic head 14 may be an encryption magnetic head corresponding to encryption of magnetic signals.

[0061] The sensor group 15 is a plurality of sensors that detect the position of the card 2 conveyed in the card reader 1. The sensor group 15 may include, for example, an optical sensor composed of a light emitting portion including a light emitting element (photodiode) and a light receiving portion including a light receiving element (photoelectric sensor), a piezoelectric sensor that detects the pressure of pressing when contacting the card 2, a physical switch (hereinafter referred to as a "switch"), and an electrostatic capacitance sensor that detects the electrostatic capacitance of the card 2. By arranging a plurality of sensors of the sensor group 15 in such a manner that the positions thereof are changed in the conveying path C, the position of the card 2 on the conveying path C can be detected in detail.

[0062] The arrangement of the sensors of the sensor group 15 will be described in detail later.

[0063] Next, refer to Figure 2 The details and positional relationship of the sensor group 15 of the card reader 1 involved in this embodiment are described with reference to the side appearance structure of FIG.

[0064] exist Figure 2In the figure, the X direction is the front-to-back direction of the card reader 1, the Z direction is the up-down direction of the card reader 1, and the Y direction is the left-right direction of the card reader 1 that is orthogonal to the front-to-back direction and the up-down direction. The X1 direction (pulling direction, ejecting direction) side in the front-to-back direction is the near front side (front) of the card reader 1, and the opposite side, that is, the X2 direction (introduction direction, insertion direction) side is the back side (rear side, rear) of the card reader 1.

[0065] The card reader 1 is mounted on the host device 3 such that the front end (near front) side of the card reader 1 is arranged on the front side of the ATM or the like.

[0066] In addition, in the present embodiment, the end of the card 2 in the direction (X2 direction) in which it is transported from the insertion port S located on the front end (near front) side toward the inner side in the conveying path C is set as the front end, and the end of the card 2 on the side (X1 direction) in which it is discharged toward the insertion port S near the front is set as the rear end for explanation.

[0067] according to Figure 2 The card reader 1 is provided with an insertion port S for inserting and ejecting a card 2, and a conveying path C is formed inside the card reader 1. The conveying path C conveys the card 2 inserted from the insertion port S. Furthermore, a pre-reading head 12, a shutter mechanism 13, and a magnetic head 14 are provided from the front side to the inner side of the conveying path C. The pre-reading head 12 and the magnetic head 14 are arranged in a manner facing the conveying path C from the upper side and / or the lower side.

[0068] Here, the transport unit 11 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.

[0069] The conveying unit 11 conveys the card 2 in the conveying path C. The conveying unit 11 is constituted by a conveying mechanism including, for example, a driving unit 20 , pulleys, a belt, and rollers.

[0070] The drive unit 20 is a stepping motor or the like that transmits driving force to a pulley via a driving belt. A rotary encoder (hereinafter, simply referred to as an encoder) is connected to the drive unit 20. The rotation position and speed of the shaft of the drive unit 20 can be detected. In addition, the drive unit 20 may also include a torque sensor that detects the torque output of the shaft.

[0071] The pulley is a pulley or a gear rotatably supported on the housing of the card reader 1 .

[0072] The belt is a rubber or elastic body connected between rollers for power transmission.

[0073] The sensor group 15 is provided in the conveying path C in the order of a gate sensor 50 , a first sensor 51 , a head sensor 54 , a second sensor 52 , and a third sensor 53 from the front side to the back side.

[0074] The gate sensor 50 is an example of an insertion detection sensor involved in this embodiment, and detects the insertion or ejection of the card 2 from the insertion port S. In this embodiment, for example, the gate sensor 50 may also be a switch, an optical sensor, an electrostatic capacitance sensor, etc. that detects the card 2 that has passed through the pre-read head 12 passing through the gate of the gate mechanism 13.

[0075] The first sensor 51 is an example of a conveyance detection sensor that detects the card 2 conveyed on the conveyance path C according to the present embodiment. The first sensor 51 is provided near the roller on the near side.

[0076] In this embodiment, the first sensor 51 is used to determine whether the card 2 is pulled out before the front end of the card 2 is inserted from the insertion port S and detected by the gate sensor 50 and reaches the magnetic head 14.

[0077] The second sensor 52 is a sensor provided near the roller on the back side. In the present embodiment, the second sensor 52 is used to determine whether the card 2 is correctly conveyed when the magnetic head 14 writes / reads the card 2.

[0078] The third sensor 53 detects the position of the card 2 that has reached the inner end of the conveyance path C. That is, the third sensor 53 is disposed on the inner side of the conveyance path C than the magnetic head 14 and detects the position of the card 2 conveyed on the conveyance path C.

[0079] In the present embodiment, when the card 2 is conveyed and reaches the back end of the conveyance path C, the third sensor 53 can detect it.

[0080] The head sensor 54 is a sensor provided before the second sensor 52, and detects that the leading end of the card 2 has reached the magnetic head 14. When the head sensor 54 detects the card 2, reading and / or writing of magnetic data is started.

[0081] In the case of optical sensors, the sensors of the sensor group 15 can detect the insertion of the card 2 by, for example, interrupting the optical path between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion by the card 2. In the case of switches, the card 2 can be detected by generating piezoelectricity due to the pressing of the card 2 or by a change in the current value due to the conduction of the switch. In the case of electrostatic capacitance sensors, the card 2 can be detected by changing the electrostatic capacitance due to the card 2.

[0082] In the present embodiment, an example is described in which each sensor is in the "ON" state when the card 2 is detected and in the "OFF" state when the card 2 is not detected.

[0083] Next, the functional configuration of the control unit 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0084] In the present embodiment, the control unit 10 rotates the drive unit 20 in the first direction for a specific time and then in the second direction for a specific time when the gate sensor 50 is in the on state and the first sensor 51 changes from off, on, and off. Furthermore, the control unit 10 determines that the card 2 is pulled out during insertion when the load for rotating the drive unit 20 in the direction in which the card 2 moves toward the insertion port S (card ejection direction) is less than the load for rotating the drive unit 20 in the opposite direction (card insertion direction).

[0085] Specifically, the control unit 10 can make a determination by calculating the acceleration time to reach the target speed, the presence of stall during acceleration, and the torque output of the drive unit 20 after the acceleration is completed, from the rotation time in the first direction and the rotation time in the second direction.

[0086] Here, the first direction may be a forward direction for conveying the card 2 in the insertion direction, and the second direction may be a reverse direction for conveying the card 2 in the ejection direction.

[0087] More specifically, when any of the following conditions is further generated as the judgment conditions: condition (A) the acceleration time in the forward direction is greater than the value obtained by adding the acceleration threshold to the acceleration time in the reverse direction, condition (B) there is a stall during the acceleration in the forward direction, condition (C) the torque output of the drive unit 20 after the acceleration in the forward direction is greater than the value obtained by adding the torque threshold to the torque output of the drive unit 20 after the acceleration in the reverse direction is completed, and condition (D) the torque output of the drive unit 20 after the acceleration in the forward direction is completed reaches the limit value, the control unit 10 can determine that the card 2 has been pulled out during insertion.

[0088] Furthermore, if any of the following conditions is further generated as judgment conditions: condition (E) the acceleration time in the reverse direction becomes greater than the value obtained by adding the acceleration threshold to the acceleration time in the forward direction; condition (F) the torque output of the drive unit 20 after the acceleration in the reverse direction is greater than the value obtained by adding the torque threshold to the torque output of the drive unit 20 after the acceleration in the forward direction is completed; condition (G) the torque output of the drive unit 20 after the acceleration in the reverse direction reaches the limit value, the control unit 10 can judge that the card 2 has not been removed during insertion.

[0089] Here, when the control unit 10 determines that the card 2 has not been removed during insertion, it may be determined that an abnormality has occurred, for example, that a safety risk has occurred.

[0090] [Card removal detection processing]

[0091] Next, according to Figure 3 and Figure 4 The card removal detection process according to the embodiment of the present invention is described below. The card removal detection process is a process for the control unit 10 to execute the card removal detection method according to the embodiment.

[0092] In the card removal detection process according to the present embodiment, the gate sensor 50 detects the insertion of the card 2 from the insertion port S. When the gate sensor 50 is in the on state, when the first sensor 51 changes to off, on, and off, the drive unit 20 is rotated in the first direction for a specific time. Then, the drive unit 20 is rotated in the second direction for a specific time, and when the load for rotating the drive unit 20 in the direction in which the card 2 moves toward the insertion port S is less than the load for rotating the drive unit 20 in the opposite direction, it is determined that the card 2 has been removed during insertion.

[0093] The card removal detection process of the present embodiment mainly involves the control unit 10 cooperating with other units and executing a control program stored in a built-in storage medium using hardware resources.

[0094] According to the following Figure 3 The card removal detection process involved in this embodiment is described in detail step by step.

[0095] (Step S101)

[0096] First, the control unit 10 performs a card conveyance process.

[0097] The control unit 10 detects that the card 2 is inserted from the insertion slot S through the gate sensor 50 .

[0098] Then, the control unit 10 performs initialization processing of the card reader 1 and rotates the driving unit 20 of the conveying unit 11 in the forward direction. Thus, the control unit 10 conveys the card 2 from the front side (X1 direction) to the back side (X2 direction) in the conveying path C toward the magnetic head 14 of the card reader 1.

[0099] Then, in the state where the gate sensor 50 is turned on, the card 2 is conveyed to the first sensor 51. Then, the pre-reading head 12 confirms that the card 2 is a magnetic card with a magnetic stripe. On this basis, the front end of the card 2 reaches the first sensor 51, changing from off to on.

[0100] Figure 4 (a) shows the appearance of the card 2 in the above state.

[0101] (Step S102)

[0102] Next, the control unit 10 determines whether the first sensor 51 changes to OFF, ON, or OFF.

[0103] As described above, when the first sensor 51 changes from OFF to ON and then to OFF while the gate sensor 50 is ON, the control unit 10 detects this as an abnormal state and determines it as YES.

[0104] Figure 4 (b) As an example of the state of the card 2 in the above state, a state is shown in which the user P wants to use another card and the card 2 being inserted is removed by the user P for some reason.

[0105] On the other hand, the control unit 10 determines "no" in other cases, that is, when the first sensor 51 is turned on from off, the card 2 is conveyed to the back side, and the gate sensor 50 is in a normal state of off. The control unit 10 also determines "no" in other cases such as when the card is still being conveyed.

[0106] If yes, the control unit 10 advances the process to step S103.

[0107] If NO, the control unit 10 advances the process to step S111.

[0108] (Step S103)

[0109] When the gate sensor 50 is in the on state, and the first sensor 51 changes from off, on, and off, the control unit 10 performs the normal rotation process.

[0110] When the control unit 10 detects a change in the gate sensor 50 during card taking in, if the conveying unit has already rotated in the direction (forward direction) for conveying the card 2 in the insertion direction, the control unit 10 temporarily stops the conveying unit.

[0111] Then, the control unit 10 rotates the driving unit 20 in the forward direction for a specific time period, which may be, for example, several milliseconds to more than ten seconds.

[0112] (Step S104)

[0113] Next, the control unit 10 performs acceleration stall torque acquisition processing.

[0114] The control unit 10 acquires a characteristic value related to the motor output characteristic of the drive unit 20 .

[0115] In this embodiment, the control unit 10 (i) calculates the acceleration time until the target speed is reached. Specifically, the control unit 10 may obtain the value of the rotating encoder as time series data, thereby calculating the angular velocity, and calculate the time until the angular velocity reaches the target speed as the acceleration time. The target speed may also be, for example, the normal conveying speed when the card 2 is conveyed in the conveying path C. In addition, the normal conveying speed may also be set to an appropriate value according to the torque output of the motor of the drive unit 20, etc.

[0116] Next, the control unit 10 (ii) also obtains whether there is a stall during acceleration from the above-mentioned time series data. Whether there is a stall during acceleration is also obtained from the above-mentioned time series data. The control unit 10 can also calculate the angular acceleration from the angular velocity based on the time series data, and judge that there is a stall when the angular acceleration is lower than the stall threshold. That is, the control unit 10 detects the situation where the conveying speed decreases (stall "exists") due to the card 2 being pulled out by the user P, etc.

[0117] Next, the control unit 10 (iii) obtains the torque output after the acceleration is completed. Specifically, the control unit 10 obtains the torque output after the angular velocity calculated based on the above-mentioned time series data reaches the target speed as the torque output after the acceleration is completed. As the torque output, for example, the practical maximum torque output of the drive unit 20 can also be set as the "limit value".

[0118] (Step S105)

[0119] Next, the control unit 10 performs inversion processing.

[0120] The control unit 10 temporarily stops the driving unit 20 and rotates it in the reverse direction for conveying the card 2 in the ejection direction for a specific time. In this embodiment, the specific time may be the same as the specific time in step S103.

[0121] (Step S106)

[0122] Next, the control unit 10 performs acceleration stall torque acquisition processing.

[0123] This process is similar to step S104 , and the control unit 10 calculates and acquires a characteristic value related to the motor output characteristic of the drive unit 20 .

[0124] In addition, at this time, the control unit 10 may acquire absolute values ​​in which the respective values ​​do not have different signs.

[0125] (Step S107)

[0126] Next, the control unit 10 performs condition determination processing.

[0127] The control unit 10 compares the acquired characteristic values ​​related to the motor output characteristics of the drive unit 20 with the following condition items during forward rotation and reverse rotation.

[0128] Condition (A) is (i) the acceleration time is forward ≧ reverse + acceleration threshold. That is, condition (A) is the case where the acceleration time in the forward direction is greater than the value obtained by adding the acceleration threshold to the acceleration time in the reverse direction. The acceleration threshold can be appropriately set according to the actual acceleration obtained during the extraction.

[0129] Condition (B) is (ii) a stall occurs during acceleration in the forward rotation. That is, condition (B) is a case where a stall occurs during acceleration in the forward rotation direction.

[0130] Condition (C) is (iii) the torque output after acceleration is forward ≧ reverse + torque threshold. That is, condition (C) is a case where the torque output of the drive unit 20 after acceleration in the forward direction is greater than the value obtained by adding the torque threshold to the torque output of the drive unit 20 after acceleration in the reverse direction. The torque threshold can be appropriately set according to the torque output actually obtained when pulling out.

[0131] Condition (D) is (iii) the torque output after acceleration has reached the limit value in the forward rotation. That is, condition (D) is the case where the torque output of the drive unit 20 has reached the limit value after acceleration in the forward rotation direction has been completed.

[0132] Condition (E) is (i) the acceleration time satisfies reverse rotation≧forward rotation+acceleration threshold. That is, condition (E) is when the acceleration time in the reverse direction is equal to or greater than the value obtained by adding the acceleration threshold to the acceleration time in the forward direction.

[0133] Condition (F) is (iii) the torque output after acceleration is reverse ≧ forward + torque threshold. That is, condition (F) is a situation where the torque output of the drive unit 20 after acceleration in the reverse direction is greater than the value obtained by adding the torque threshold to the torque output of the drive unit 20 after acceleration in the forward direction.

[0134] Condition (G) is (iii) the torque output after acceleration has reached the limit value in the reverse direction. That is, condition (G) is when the torque output of the drive unit 20 has reached the limit value after acceleration in the reverse direction has been completed.

[0135] (Step S108)

[0136] Next, the control unit 10 determines whether the card has been pulled out based on the above conditions. For each of the above conditions, when any one of the conditions (A) to (D) is met, and / or the conditions (E) to (G) are not met, the control unit 10 determines that the card has been pulled out as the condition is met, and the determination is yes. That is, when these conditions are met, the load for the control unit 10 to reverse the drive unit 20 in the ejection direction (X1 direction) in which the card 2 moves toward the insertion port S is less than the load for the drive unit 20 to rotate forward in the insertion direction (X2 direction) which is the opposite direction, so it can be determined as yes. In other cases, the control unit 10 determines that the card has not been pulled out, and the determination is no.

[0137] If yes, the control unit 10 advances the process to step S109.

[0138] If NO, control unit 10 advances the process to step S110.

[0139] (Step S109)

[0140] When the card is removed, the control unit 10 performs removal-response processing.

[0141] The control unit 10 notifies the host device 3 that the card 2 has been removed.

[0142] Thus, in the host device 3, a warning message such as "Please do not remove the inserted card" may be displayed on the display unit.

[0143] Here, since it is assumed that the card 2 is removed after being inserted, the control unit 10 may further drive the drive unit 20 of the transport unit 11 in the reverse direction to transport the card 2 to the front side (X1 direction) and discharge it.

[0144] Furthermore, on this basis, the control unit 10 may wait for the card 2 to be inserted again.

[0145] Thereafter, the control unit 10 ends the card removal detection process.

[0146] (Step S110)

[0147] When determining that the card has not been removed, the control unit 10 performs error processing.

[0148] The control unit 10 determines that an abnormality has occurred by changing the first sensor 51 to OFF, ON, and OFF when the card is not removed and the gate sensor 50 is ON, and performs processing related to the error occurrence.

[0149] In the present embodiment, the control unit 10 sends an error notification to the upper device 3 when a gate sensor 50 or the first sensor 51 fails, an abnormal card 2 is inserted, a component for illegally obtaining information written in a magnetic card, i.e., for recording, or an inserted component (hereinafter referred to as a recording component, or "recorder") is pushed in during standby mode.

[0150] Afterwards, the control unit 10 may be set to a locked state so that the card 2 cannot be read.

[0151] (Step S111)

[0152] In the normal state, the control unit 10 performs a normal conveying process.

[0153] The control unit 10 continues the normal card reading process, continues to drive the driving unit 20 of the conveying unit 11 in the forward direction, and continues to convey the card 2 to the inner side (X2 direction) to the inner end.

[0154] That is, the control unit 10 detects the front end of the card 2 with the head sensor 54 and reads the magnetic signal of the magnetic stripe of the card 2 with the magnetic head 14 .

[0155] Alternatively, the control unit 10 may read the required IC information of the IC of the card 2 through the IC contact block. Similarly, the control unit 10 may activate the contactless IC through the RF antenna or the electromagnetic induction antenna to read the required IC information.

[0156] Furthermore, when the control unit 10 is provided with an image reader, it is also possible to read images such as photographs and characters optically recorded on the card 2 .

[0157] Then, the control portion 10 conveys the card 2 using the conveying portion 11 until the second sensor 52 detects the leading end of the card 2 and the third sensor 53 detects the leading end of the card 2 .

[0158] Thereby, the magnetic signal is read and transmitted to the host device 3 .

[0159] Then, the control unit 10 discharges the card 2 to the insertion port S. Specifically, the control unit 10 drives the driving unit 20 of the conveying unit 11 in the reverse direction to convey the card 2 toward the front side (X1 direction) until the card 2 is discharged.

[0160] At this time, the inversion signal of the magnetic signal of the magnetic stripe of the card 2 can also be obtained again.

[0161] Then, the control unit 10 continues conveying the card 2 until the gate sensor 50 detects the rear end of the card 2 and the first sensor 51 turns off. Thus, the card 2 is ejected and stops with the rear end of the card 2 protruding from the insertion port S.

[0162] In the above state, the user P may be notified by voice or the like by displaying a message “Please remove the card from the insertion slot S as the card reading is completed” on the display unit of the host device 3 .

[0163] The card removal detection process according to the embodiment of the present invention is completed as described above.

[0164] [Main effects of this embodiment]

[0165] With the above configuration, the following effects can be obtained.

[0166] Conventionally, even with a motor-transport type card reader, a card may be pulled out by the user P during insertion due to some reason, such as the user P inserting a wrong card or wanting to use another card.

[0167] When such removal occurs, an error is reported by the status monitoring such as that of the card reader described in Patent Document 1, and it is necessary to call a service person.

[0168] In this regard, (1) the card reader 1 involved in the embodiment of the present invention includes: an insertion port S for inserting a card 2; a gate sensor 50 for detecting the insertion of the card 2 into the insertion port S; a conveying path C for conveying the card 2 inserted from the insertion port S; a conveying unit 11 including a driving unit 20 for conveying the card 2 in the conveying path C; a first sensor 51 for detecting the card 2 conveyed on the conveying path C; and a control unit 10, which, when the gate sensor 50 is in an on state, causes the first sensor 51 to change from off, on, and off, and then causes the driving unit 20 to rotate in a first direction for a specific time, and then causes the driving unit to rotate in a second direction for a specific time, and when the load for rotating the driving unit 20 in the direction in which the card 2 moves toward the insertion port S is less than the load for rotating the driving unit 20 in the opposite direction, determines that the card 2 has been pulled out during insertion.

[0169] By configuring in this way, it is possible to provide a motor-transported card reader 1 that can determine whether the reason for the first sensor 51 to be turned on or off is the removal of the card 2 or other reasons (abnormality). This can reduce the trouble of service personnel caused by the card reader 1 being in an abnormal stop state due to the user P removing the card 2, and can reduce maintenance costs.

[0170] Furthermore, without adding special hardware, it is possible to detect approximately reliably that the card 2 is pulled out by the user P while being inserted. That is, even if the hardware structure is the same motor-transport type card reader as in the past, it is possible to detect the removal of the card 2 only by changing (updating or adding) the software. Therefore, the cost associated with adding functions can also be reduced.

[0171] (2) In the card reader 1 involved in the embodiment of the present invention, wherein, in the card reader described in (1), the control unit 10 calculates the acceleration time until the target speed is reached, whether there is stall during acceleration, and the torque output of the drive unit 20 after the acceleration is completed, and makes a judgment during the rotation time in the first direction and the rotation time in the second direction.

[0172] This configuration makes it possible to reliably determine whether the card 2 is pulled out or abnormal during insertion. That is, the load in the first direction and the load in the second direction can be accurately evaluated by the acceleration time until the target speed is reached, whether there is stall during acceleration, and the torque output of the drive unit 20 after the acceleration is completed, and the pullout can be determined more reliably.

[0173] (3) In the card reader 1 involved in the embodiment of the present invention, in the card reader described in (1) or (2), the first direction is the forward direction for conveying the card 2 in the insertion direction, and the second direction is the reverse direction for conveying the card 2 in the ejection direction.

[0174] By configuring in this way, it is possible to reliably detect the situation where a load is applied to the drive unit 20 due to the removal. That is, normally, the load for reversing the drive unit 20 in the ejection direction (X1 direction) in which the card 2 moves toward the insertion port S during the removal is smaller than the load for rotating the drive unit 20 in the insertion direction (X2 direction) which is the opposite direction. This can be easily detected.

[0175] (4) In the card reader 1 involved in the embodiment of the present invention, in the card reader described in (3), when any of the following conditions is further generated as the judgment condition: (A) the acceleration time in the forward direction is greater than the value obtained by adding the acceleration threshold to the acceleration time in the reverse direction; (B) there is a stall during the acceleration in the forward direction; (C) the torque output of the drive unit 20 after the acceleration in the forward direction is greater than the value obtained by adding the torque threshold to the torque output of the drive unit 20 after the acceleration in the reverse direction is completed; and (D) the torque output of the drive unit 20 after the acceleration in the forward direction reaches the limit value, the control unit 10 determines that the card 2 is pulled out during insertion.

[0176] This configuration can more reliably detect that the card 2 is pulled out during insertion. That is, it can reliably detect that the load for reversing the drive unit 20 in the ejection direction (X1 direction) is smaller than the load for forwardly rotating the drive unit 20 in the insertion direction (X2 direction).

[0177] (5) In the card reader 1 involved in the embodiment of the present invention, in the card reader described in (3) or (4), when any of the following conditions is further generated as the judgment condition: (E) the acceleration time in the reverse direction becomes greater than the value obtained by adding the acceleration threshold to the acceleration time in the forward direction; (F) the torque output of the drive unit 20 after the acceleration in the reverse direction is greater than the value obtained by adding the torque threshold to the torque output of the drive unit 20 after the acceleration in the forward direction is completed; (G) the torque output of the drive unit 20 after the acceleration in the reverse direction is completed reaches the limit value, the control unit 10 determines that the card 2 has not been removed during insertion.

[0178] By configuring in this way, when the conveying detection sensor changes to off, on, and off, it is possible to reliably detect a situation other than the removal of the card 2 during insertion, that is, an abnormal situation. Thus, it is possible to detect a situation where the load is applied in a manner different from that in the case where the card 2 is removed during insertion. Therefore, safety can be improved.

[0179] (6) In the card reader 1 involved in the embodiment of the present invention, in the card reader described in (5), the control unit 10 determines that the card is removed as a condition being met when any one of the conditions (A) to (D) is met and / or the conditions (E) to (G) are not met.

[0180] By configuring in this way, it is possible to reliably detect the situation where the card 2 is pulled out during the insertion. Furthermore, when the conveying detection sensor changes to off, on, and off, it is also possible to reliably detect the abnormality that the card 2 is pulled out when it is not inserted. This can reduce the burden on the service personnel caused by the pull-out and improve safety.

[0181] (Other Embodiments)

[0182] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example is described in which the gate sensor 50 is used as the insertion detection sensor and the first sensor 51 is used as the conveyance detection sensor.

[0183] However, as the insertion detection sensor and / or the conveyance detection sensor, a pre-reading head and / or a head sensor disposed at an appropriate location that can also be used in the card detection for the purpose of the present application may be used.

[0184] Specifically, for example, the pre-read head 12 may replace the insertion detection sensor to detect the card 2. In this case, the control unit 10 can determine that the card 2 has been removed when no magnetic signal of the card 2 is detected or a signal corresponding to the position of the front end of the magnetic stripe is detected.

[0185] In addition, the control unit 10 may also be configured to determine that the card 2 is pulled out when the card 2 is pulled out and the card 2 moves toward the front side (X1 direction) and the pre-read head 12 detects a magnetic signal. In addition, the continuity of the magnetic data read by the pre-read head 12 may be monitored to detect the pulling out or abnormality. At this time, the reversal of the magnetic data read by the pre-read head 12 may also be detected.

[0186] Alternatively, when the head sensor 54 and the second sensor 52 are used as conveyance detection sensors, the rear end of the card 2 may enter the conveyance path C. In such a case, only the abnormality of conditions (F) to (G) among the above conditions may be determined, or the removal may be detected based on conditions (A) to (C), and may also be determined as the abnormality.

[0187] Furthermore, a configuration may be adopted in which the second sensor 52 is further used as the conveyance detection sensor.

[0188] In addition to such a structure, the gate sensor 50 may be used as an insertion detection sensor, and the first sensor 51 may be used in combination with the gate sensor 50 as a transport detection sensor.

[0189] That is, a single sensor or a combination of multiple sensors may be used as the insertion detection sensor and / or the conveyance detection sensor. Also, each sensor of the sensor group 15 may be configured to monitor state deviation by using it as the insertion detection sensor and / or the conveyance detection sensor.

[0190] With this configuration, removal can be detected more flexibly, and occurrence of abnormality can be detected reliably.

[0191] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, it is described that the removal of the card 2 is detected by using the insertion detection sensor and the transport detection sensor without adding any special hardware.

[0192] However, in addition to the above sensors, an IC chip sensor may be used to monitor metal other than the IC chip, or a capacitance sensor may be used to monitor changes in capacitance to determine whether the device is pulled out or an abnormality has occurred.

[0193] Furthermore, a vibration sensor, an acceleration sensor, etc. may also be provided to detect the shaking of the housing by the vibration sensor or the acceleration sensor to detect the possible removal of the card 2. In this case, after the card 2 is inserted, the removal may also be determined.

[0194] With this configuration, removal of the card 2 or occurrence of an abnormality can be detected more reliably.

[0195] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, an example in which the removal of the card 2 is detected is mainly described.

[0196] However, the insertion of a foreign object into the card reader 1 may be more actively detected by determining the occurrence of an abnormality other than the removal of the card 2. Specifically, the insertion of a skimmer into the card reader 1 may be detected by determining the occurrence of an abnormality.

[0197] Specifically, in order to prevent the skimmer from reacting to the optical sensor when inserted into the card reader, it has the following shape features:

[0198] (1) In order to make the skimmer body respond to the optical sensor, a hole is opened in a part of the body to avoid the sensor.

[0199] (2) The skimming device body is made of a transparent sheet, etc. The body does not react to an optical sensor, but reacts only when a skimming head located in the same straight line as the sensor passes by the optical sensor.

[0200] In either case (1) or (2), the sensor in the transport path C changes from on to off during the insertion of the skimmer, so that a skimmer can be determined by detecting the change.

[0201] However, in the prior art, the same changes will occur when the card 2 is pulled out, so it is impossible to distinguish between the insertion of the recorder and the removal of the card.

[0202] In this regard, here, as the cause of the first sensor 51 changing between on and off, by detecting the occurrence of abnormality after detecting the removal of the card 2, it is possible to reliably detect a skimmer. Furthermore, the function of detecting a skimmer can be added or improved only by updating the software without the need for additional hardware. In recent years, new types of skimming by skimmers with shapes and features that cannot be detected by existing methods have occurred, and even in such cases, skimmer detection can be performed.

[0203] In the above-mentioned embodiment, an example is described in which the first direction is the forward direction for conveying the card 2 in the insertion direction, and the second direction is the reverse direction for conveying the card 2 in the ejection direction.

[0204] However, these directions may be opposite to each other. That is, the first direction may be the reverse direction, and the second direction may be the forward direction.

[0205] With this configuration, it is possible to determine whether the card 2 is removed during insertion, whether an abnormality has occurred, etc., based on other conditions.

[0206] In the above-mentioned embodiment, it is described that the card reader 1 reads the card 2 by inserting it into the insertion slot S.

[0207] However, the host device 3 may detect that a certain command related to card reading has been received and then read the card 2. In addition, it may be determined that an abnormality has occurred when the card 2 is inserted or removed.

[0208] With this configuration, it is possible to reliably determine whether the card 2 is removed or an abnormality has occurred, together with an instruction from the host device 3 .

[0209] In the above-mentioned embodiment, an example in which each of the above-mentioned processes is executed by a control program stored in a ROM has been described.

[0210] However, by installing a control program capable of executing each of these processes in a card reader having a general sensor group 15 and executing the program, each of the above processes may be performed and the card reader 1 according to the present embodiment may be functioned.

[0211] Therefore, a service person or the like may also install the firmware including the control program by downloading it from a recording medium such as a flash memory card or a USB memory storing the control program, or from the host device 3 or another server or the like.

[0212] Thus, by changing or updating the control program, an existing magnetic card reader can be used as the card reader 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0213] Furthermore, the control unit 10 may analyze the above-mentioned time series data to calculate the average value, standard deviation, etc. of each characteristic value related to the motor output characteristic of the drive unit 20 when the card 2 is removed.

[0214] Furthermore, based on the calculated values, the acceleration threshold, the torque threshold, the limit value, etc. may be calculated and updated.

[0215] Furthermore, AI such as a multi-layer neural network (deep neural network), a statistical model, or the like may be made to learn these values ​​and changes in values, thereby being able to more reliably detect the occurrence of a disconnection or an abnormality.

[0216] On this basis, when the average distance or standard deviation of the card 2 removal deviates from the average, an alarm may be sent to the administrator of the card reader 1 regarding the necessity of maintenance or the possibility of abnormality in the card reader 1 .

[0217] By configuring in this way, maintainability and safety can be improved.

[0218] The configuration and operation of the above-described embodiment are merely examples, and can of course be executed with appropriate modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0219] Description of Reference Numerals

[0220] 1…card reader; 2…card; 3…host device; 10…control unit; 11…transport unit; 12…pre-read head; 13…gate mechanism; 14…magnetic head; 15…sensor group; 20…drive unit; 50…gate sensor; 51…first sensor; 52…second sensor; 53…third sensor; 54…head sensor; C…transport path; P…user; S…insertion port.

Claims

1. A card reader, characterized in that: include: Insertion port, for card insertion; An insertion detection sensor detects the card being inserted into the insertion port; a conveying path for conveying the card inserted from the insertion port; a conveying unit, including a driving unit, for conveying the card within the conveying path; a conveyance detection sensor for detecting a card conveyed in the conveyance path; and The control unit, when the insertion detection sensor is in the on state, causes the drive unit to rotate in the first direction for a specific time, and then causes the drive unit to rotate in the second direction for the specific time when the transport detection sensor changes to off, on, and off. When the load for rotating the drive unit in the direction in which the card moves toward the insertion port is less than the load for rotating the drive unit in the opposite direction, the control unit determines that the card has been pulled out during insertion.

2. The card reader according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control unit makes the determination by calculating an acceleration time until a target speed is reached, whether a stall occurs during acceleration, and a torque output of the drive unit after completion of acceleration, during the rotation time in the first direction and the rotation time in the second direction.

3. The card reader according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first direction is a forward direction for conveying the card in an insertion direction, and the second direction is a reverse direction for conveying the card in an ejection direction.

4. The card reader according to claim 3, characterized in that: If any of the following conditions further occur as the judgment condition: the acceleration time in the forward direction is greater than the value obtained by adding an acceleration threshold to the acceleration time in the reverse direction; there is a stall during the acceleration in the forward direction; the torque output of the drive unit after the acceleration in the forward direction is greater than the value obtained by adding a torque threshold to the torque output of the drive unit after the acceleration in the reverse direction; and the torque output of the drive unit reaches a limit value after the acceleration in the forward direction is completed, the control unit determines that the card has been pulled out during insertion.

5. The card reader according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: If any of the following conditions further occur as the judgment condition: the acceleration time in the reverse direction becomes greater than the value obtained by adding an acceleration threshold to the acceleration time in the forward direction; the torque output of the drive unit after the acceleration in the reverse direction is greater than the value obtained by adding a torque threshold to the torque output of the drive unit after the acceleration in the forward direction is completed; and the torque output of the drive unit reaches a limit value after the acceleration in the reverse direction is completed, the control unit determines that the card has not been removed during insertion.

6. A card removal detection method, characterized in that: The card removal detection method is performed by a card reader, which includes: an insertion port for inserting a card; an insertion detection sensor for detecting the insertion of the card into the insertion port; a conveying path for conveying the card inserted from the insertion port; a conveying unit including a driving unit for conveying the card in the conveying path; and a conveying detection sensor for detecting the card conveyed in the conveying path. In the card removal detection method, through the card reader, when the insertion detection sensor is in the on state, and when the conveyance detection sensor changes to off, on, and off, the drive unit is rotated in the first direction for a specific time, and the drive unit is rotated in the second direction for a specific time. When the load for rotating the drive unit in the direction in which the card moves toward the insertion port is less than the load for rotating the drive unit in the opposite direction, it is determined that the card has been removed during insertion.

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