Card positioning method and card reader

Abstract

In a card reader which transmits an IC card through a motor in a transmission path, even if the IC card is provided with a transparent or translucent area, the card positioning method can accurately position the IC card to a position where data is read from the IC card. A card reader (10) is provided with: an IC contact block (47) that is in electrical contact with a communication terminal (32) of an IC card (30); and a plurality of sensors (PD1, PD2, PD3, PDi), all of which are optical sensors and which are provided on the transport path (40). When an IC card (30) is positioned to an IC contact block (47), the following steps are executed: a first transfer step in which the IC card (30) inserted into an insertion port (41) is transferred to the innermost side of a transfer path (40); and a second transfer step in which, after the first transfer step, the transfer direction is reversed, and after the first sensor (PD1) detects the end of the IC card (30) on the insertion port (41) side, the IC card (30) is further transferred by a predetermined distance, and then the transfer is stopped.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for positioning a card in a card reader that transfers the card via a motor, and a card reader that implements the positioning method. Background Art

[0002] IC cards with built-in IC chips are widely used in credit cards and the like. In a card reader that reads and writes data on an IC card, in order to communicate with the IC card, it is necessary to contact the IC contact block on the card reader side with the communication terminal (contact) exposed on the surface of the IC chip to establish an electrical connection between the two. The IC contact block is provided with contact pins corresponding to the terminals on the IC chip side. A motor-type card reader, when an IC card is inserted into the insertion port of the card reader, is driven by a motor to bring the IC card into the card reader. In this card reader, when the IC card is transported along the internal transmission path, it is necessary to move the IC card to the position of the IC contact block on the card reader side and stop the IC card at the correct position. Therefore, the card reader is provided with a sensor for detecting the position of the IC card along the transmission path. As such a sensor, an optical sensor that detects that the optical path is interrupted by the IC card is widely used. When an optical sensor is used as a sensor for detecting the position of the IC card, it is possible to detect whether the edge of the IC card passes through the position of the sensor not only by detecting whether the IC card is present at the position of the sensor, but also by detecting the change in the output state of the sensor. In addition, most IC cards have a magnetic stripe so that they can also be used as magnetic cards.

[0003] The external dimensions of the IC card, the position of the communication terminals in the IC card, and the position of the magnetic stripe are determined by standards such as the ISO standard. In recent years, in order to improve the design of the IC card, a part of the IC card can be formed of a transparent material (or a material with light transmittance) without changing the external dimensions of the IC card. When using a motor-type card reader to read and write data to an IC card with a transparent or light-transmitting portion, the presence of the transparent (light-transmitting) portion makes it difficult for the optical sensor to accurately locate the IC card in the card reader. In this case, the IC contact block of the card reader will not be able to contact the communication terminals on the IC card side, and communication between the card reader and the IC card will sometimes be impossible.

[0004] As a technology for detecting a card with a transparent portion regardless of the presence or absence of an IC chip, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for detecting a card with a transparent portion by setting a contact-type card detection sensor along the transmission path of a card reader. The contact-type card detection sensor is composed of, for example, a card detection member that is forced to protrude into the transmission path and is displaced by being pressed by a card, a shading plate installed on the card detection member, and an optical sensor whose light path is cut off by the shading plate that moves due to the displacement of the card detection member. Patent Documents 2 and 3 disclose technologies for detecting the position of a card using a detection unit, the detection unit having a roller that is displaced by contacting a card in transmission, and an optical sensor that detects the displacement of the roller. In addition, regardless of the presence or absence of an IC chip, in a card with a magnetic stripe, the magnetic stripe portion is not a transparent or light-transmitting portion, so Patent Document 4 discloses that an optical sensor is arranged at a position where the magnetic stripe portion passes when the card moves.

[0005] Patent document 5 discloses the following: monitoring whether the sensor detects the card when the motor transmits the card so that normal card processing can be performed even for an IC card with a damaged or transparent part; when the sensor detects the card, a timer starts counting the card transmission time from that moment on, stops the card transmission when the transmission time reaches a specified value, and makes the IC contact block on the card reader side contact the communication terminal of the IC card. [Prior art literature] [Patent Document]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-199272 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-115091 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-204309 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-173947 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-110280 Summary of the invention Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0007] If the technologies disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 are applied, the accurate position of an IC card with a transparent part or a light-transmitting part can be detected, and the IC contact block of the card reader can be reliably contacted with the communication terminal on the IC card side. However, the contact sensors using these technologies have the following problems: the cost is higher than that of an optical sensor that detects a card by shielding the card, and the position of the sensor in the card reader is limited. In the technology described in Patent Document 4, in order to locate the IC card in the card reader, an additional optical sensor needs to be provided in addition to the sensor already provided in the card reader, so an increase in cost can be foreseen. In the technology described in Patent Document 5, the timing of the transmission time is started by detecting the card by the sensor, but Patent Document 5 does not describe how to accurately detect a card with a transparent part using a sensor.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a card positioning method and a card reader implementing such a card positioning method, wherein in a card reader in which an IC card is transmitted by a motor within a transmission path, even if an IC motor is provided with an IC having a transparent or light-transmitting area, the communication terminal of the IC card can be accurately positioned to the IC contact block on the card reader side. Means for solving technical problems

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, a card positioning method is a card positioning method in a card reader, the card reader reading data from at least an IC card having a communication terminal. The card reader includes: a conveying path having an insertion port at one end for inserting an IC card from the front end of the IC card; a conveying roller arranged along the conveying path and conveying the IC card; a motor driving the conveying roller; an IC contact block electrically contacting the communication terminal of the IC card; and a plurality of sensors arranged on the conveying path along the conveying direction of the IC card and detecting the IC card. Multiple sensors are optical sensors that detect when the light path is cut off by the IC card being transmitted. A first sensor among the plurality of sensors is disposed along the conveying path at a position closer to one end side of the conveying path than the IC contact block. When the position of the IC card in the transmission path and the position where the IC contact block can make electrical contact with the communication terminal are set as the communication position, and the IC card is positioned at the communication position in the transmission path, an extended positioning process is performed, and the extended positioning process includes: a first conveying step of conveying the IC card inserted into the insertion port along the conveying path toward the other end of the conveying path; and The second conveying step reverses the conveying direction of the IC card after the first conveying step, and then when the first sensor detects the rear end of the IC card, the IC card is further conveyed a predetermined distance and then stopped.

[0010] In one type of card positioning method, after the rear end of the IC card (the end on the insertion port side) is detected by the first sensor, the IC card is transmitted a specified distance to be positioned at the communication position. Therefore, even if the sensor that directly detects that the IC card is at the communication position cannot properly detect the IC card due to a transparent area in the IC card, the IC card can be accurately positioned at the communication position.

[0011] In a card positioning method of one embodiment, when an IC card has a non-light-transmitting area extending from the front end to the rear end of the IC card along the direction of transmission of the IC card, it is preferred that a first sensor is provided in the transmission path at a position corresponding to the non-light-transmitting area. As an example of a non-light-transmitting area extending from the front end to the rear end of the IC card, a magnetic stripe provided in the IC card can be cited. When the IC card has a non-light-transmitting area like this, by configuring the first sensor corresponding to the non-light-transmitting area, the rear end of the IC card can be accurately detected by the first sensor, and it becomes easy to accurately position the IC card at the communication position.

[0012] In a card positioning method of one mode, as an example, the second sensor among the plurality of sensors is arranged at a position closer to the other end side of the transmission path than the first sensor, and at a position corresponding to the front end of the IC card located at the communication position. The second sensor is used to determine whether the IC card is located at the communication position in the existing universal card reader. Therefore, the card positioning method of this mode can also be used in the existing universal card reader. In this case, when the IC card is positioned at the communication position in the transmission path, any one of the above-mentioned extended positioning processing and the normal positioning processing can be selected and executed. The normal positioning processing is a processing performed in the existing universal card reader. It has the above-mentioned first transmission process and the third transmission process, and the third transmission process reverses the transmission direction of the IC card after the first transmission process, and then stops the transmission when the second sensor detects the front end of the IC card. By enabling the selection of the extended positioning processing and the normal positioning processing, the existing normal positioning processing can be selected and executed for the IC card known to have no transparent area, and the amount of calculation of the accompanying processing can be reduced. In addition, any one of the extended positioning processing and the normal positioning processing can be selected based on the transfer mode of the output of each of the plurality of sensors when the first transmission process is implemented. By making this selection, regardless of whether it is an IC card having a transparent area or an IC card without a transparent area, the process of positioning the IC card at the communication position can be optimized.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, a card reader reads data from at least an IC card having a communication terminal, and includes: A conveying path having an insertion port at one end for inserting an IC card from the front end of the IC card; A conveying roller is arranged along the conveying path and conveys the IC card; a motor driving the conveyor roller; An IC contact block that is in electrical contact with a communication terminal of the IC card; a plurality of sensors provided on a conveying path along a conveying direction of the IC card and detecting the IC card; and A control unit that controls the motor based on outputs from a plurality of sensors, Multiple sensors are optical sensors that detect when the light path is cut off by the IC card being transmitted. A first sensor among the plurality of sensors is disposed along the conveying path at a position closer to one end side of the conveying path than the IC contact block. The position of the IC card in the transmission path and the position where the IC contact block can make electrical contact with the communication terminal is set as the communication position. The control unit controls the motor to perform an extended positioning process to position the IC card to the communication position in the transmission path. The above-mentioned extended positioning process includes: a first transmission process, which transmits the IC card inserted into the insertion port along the transmission path to the other end of the transmission path; and a second transmission process, which reverses the transmission direction of the IC card after the first transmission process, and then when the first sensor detects the rear end of the IC card, further transmits the IC card for a specified distance and then stops the transmission.

[0014] In a card reader of one embodiment, a control unit moves the IC card a predetermined distance after the rear end of the IC card is detected by a first sensor to position the IC card at a communication position. Thus, even if a sensor for directly detecting that the IC card is at the communication position is provided with a transparent area in the IC card and the sensor cannot properly detect the IC card, the IC card can be accurately positioned at the communication position.

[0015] In a card reader of one embodiment, when an IC card has a non-light-transmitting area such as a magnetic stripe extending from the front end to the rear end of the IC card along the direction of transmission of the IC card, it is preferred that the first sensor is provided in the transmission path at a position corresponding to the non-light-transmitting area. When the IC card has a non-light-transmitting area like this, by configuring the first sensor corresponding to the non-light-transmitting area, the rear end of the IC card can be accurately detected by the first sensor, and it becomes easy to accurately position the IC card at the communication position.

[0016] In a card reader of one mode, as an example, the second sensor among the plurality of sensors is arranged at a position closer to the other end side of the transmission path than the first sensor, and at a position corresponding to the front end of the IC card located at the communication position. The second sensor is used to determine whether the IC card is located at the communication position in the existing universal card reader. Therefore, by adding an extended positioning process to the process performed by the control unit, the existing universal card reader can be set as the card reader of this mode. In this case, when the control unit positions the IC card at the communication position in the transmission path, any one of the extended positioning process and the normal positioning process can be selected and executed. By making it possible to select the extended positioning process and the normal positioning process, the existing normal positioning process can be selected and executed for the IC card known to have no transparent area, and the amount of calculation of the accompanying process can be reduced. In addition, any one of the extended positioning process and the normal positioning process can be selected based on the transfer mode of the output of each of the plurality of sensors when the first transmission process is implemented. By making this selection, whether it is an IC card with a transparent area or an IC without a transparent area, the process of positioning the IC card at the communication position can be optimized. Effects of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, in a card reader that conveys an IC card in a conveying path by a motor, even if the IC card has a transparent or light-transmitting area, the communication terminal of the IC card can be accurately positioned at the IC contact block on the card reader side. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 (a) and Figure 1 (b) are a side sectional view and a top sectional view respectively showing a card reader according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1 (c) is a schematic diagram showing the transmission process of the IC card, Figure 1 (d) is a plan view showing an example of an IC card. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of a card reader. Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating control of IC card transfer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Next, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating a card reader according to an embodiment of the present invention, (a) and (b) are a side cross-sectional view and a top cross-sectional view, respectively, (c) is a schematic side view showing the conveying process of an IC card in an extended positioning process, and (d) is a top view showing an example of an IC card. The IC card 30 processed by the card reader 10 of this embodiment is a general card formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape and conforming to ISO standards, etc., for example, including a magnetic stripe 31, and having a communication terminal 32 electrically connected to a built-in IC chip at a position determined by the standard. In addition, the IC card 30 is provided with a transparent or light-transmitting area, that is, a translucent area 33. Since both the magnetic stripe 31 and the communication terminal 32 are opaque, the translucent area 33 is set in an area other than the area where the magnetic stripe 31 is formed and the area where the communication terminal 32 is formed. An insertion direction indication mark 34 is printed on the surface of the IC card 30 to indicate the insertion direction when the IC card 30 is inserted into the card reader 10. The card reader 10 of the present embodiment is mounted on a host device 15 such as an ATM (Automated Teller Machine) (see Figure 2 ) to use.

[0020] First, the card reader 10 is described. The card reader 10 communicates with the IC card 30 with a built-in IC chip and reads data from at least the IC card 30. In the card reader 10, the long side direction of the IC card 30 is set as the transmission direction of the IC card 30. The card reader 10 is provided with a linear transmission path 40, which is a passage for transmitting the IC card 30 and extends along the front-to-back direction of the card reader 10. An insertion port 41 is formed at one end of the transmission path 40. When the card reader 10 is installed on a host device 15 such as an ATM, the user can insert the IC card 30 into the card reader 10 from the outside of the host device 15 through the insertion port 41. The insertion port 41 is provided with a card detection switch (not shown) for detecting that the IC card 30 has been inserted. In Figure 1 In (a) and 1(b), the insertion direction of the IC card 30 when inserting the IC card 30 into the card reader 10 from the insertion port 41 is indicated by an arrow mark.

[0021] A pair of side plates, i.e., guides 43, are provided on both sides of the conveying path 40, and the interval between the guides 43 is the passage width in the conveying path 40. The passage width is the same as or slightly larger than the width of the IC card 30. In the following description, the front side of the card reader 10 refers to the side of the insertion port 41 in the conveying path 40, and the rear side of the card reader 10 refers to the side opposite to the insertion port 41. In addition, for the IC card 30, the front end refers to the end that becomes the rear side of the card reader 10 when inserted into the card reader 10, and the rear end refers to the end that becomes the front side of the card reader 10. Therefore, when the IC card 30 is inserted into the card reader 10, it is inserted into the card reader 10 from the front end side. The width direction of the IC card 30 refers to the direction perpendicular to both the conveying direction of the IC card 30 in the card reader 10 and the thickness direction of the IC card 30.

[0022] On the conveying path 40, three sets of conveying rollers are provided along the conveying direction of the IC card 30 at a position approximately in the center of the width direction of the conveying path 40. The conveying roller closest to the insertion port 41 is composed of a driving roller 51a provided on the upper surface side of the conveying path 40 and a driven roller 51b provided on the lower surface side of the conveying path 40, and the conveying roller farthest from the insertion port 41 is composed of a driving roller 53a provided on the upper surface side of the conveying path 40 and a driven roller 53b provided on the lower surface side of the conveying path 40. The conveying roller provided at a position approximately in the middle of these conveying rollers includes a driving roller 52a provided on the upper surface side of the conveying path 40 and a driven roller 52b provided on the lower surface side of the conveying path 40. Each conveying roller has the function of pinching the IC card 30 by the driving rollers 51a, 52a, 53a and the driven rollers 51b, 52b, 53b and delivering it. The driving rollers 51a, 52a, 53a are rotated by the driving force of the motor 60 described later, and the driven rollers 51b, 52b, 53b rotate following the rotation of the driving rollers 51a, 52a, 53a, or following the sliding of the IC card 30 moved by the rotation of the driving rollers 51a, 52a, 53a. A magnetic head 46 is provided on the lower surface side of the transmission path 40 corresponding to the position of the magnetic stripe 31 on the IC card 30. An IC contact block 47 is provided on the upper surface side of the transmission path 40 corresponding to the position of the communication terminal 32 on the IC card 30.

[0023] In order to detect the position of the IC card 30 on the conveying path 40, four sensors PD1, PD2, PD3 and PDi are provided along the conveying path 40. The sensor PD1 is provided at a position on the near side of the conveying path 40 and at a position corresponding to the magnetic stripe 31 of the IC card 30. In the illustrated example, when considered along the conveying direction of the IC card 30, the sensor PD1 is provided at a position slightly behind the position of the drive roller 51a. The sensor PD3 is provided at a position on the rear side of the conveying path 40 and at a position corresponding to the magnetic stripe 31 of the IC card 30. In the illustrated example, when considered along the conveying direction of the IC card 30, the sensor PD3 is approximately located at the position of the drive roller 53a. The sensor PD2 is provided at a position approximately in the middle of the sensor PD1 and the sensor PD3. Since the magnetic head 46 is provided at this position, the sensor PD2 cannot be provided corresponding to the position of the magnetic stripe 31 of the IC card 30, and the sensor PD2 cannot be provided at a position deviating from the central side of the width direction of the IC card 30. In the illustrated example, when considered along the conveying direction of the IC card 30, the sensor PD2 is approximately located at the position of the driving roller 53a. The sensor PDi is arranged at a position slightly closer to the front than the sensor PD2. Since this position also interferes with the magnetic head 48, the sensor PDi is arranged at a position offset from the position corresponding to the magnetic stripe 31 of the IC card 30 to the central side of the width direction of the IC card 30. If the position of the IC card 30 in the conveying path 40 and the position where the IC contact block 47 can be electrically contacted with the communication terminal 32 is set as the communication position, the sensor PDi is configured so that when the IC card 30 is located at the communication position, the front end of the IC card 30 can be detected by the sensor PDi. The distance D between the sensor PDi and the sensor PD1 along the conveying direction of the IC card 30 is shorter than the length L of the IC card 30, that is, the distance between the front end and the rear end of the IC card 30. The sensors PD1, PD2, PD3 and PDi are composed of optical sensors, which can detect the IC card 30 when the optical path is interrupted by the IC card 30.

[0024] The power transmission member for transmitting the driving force of the motor 60 to the driving rollers 51a, 52a, 53a includes toothed belts 71 and 72. The output of the motor 60 is first transmitted to the large diameter gear portion 56b, which is a gear portion provided on the shaft body 56 supporting the driving roller 52a, via the gear 61 and the toothed belt 71 installed on the rotating shaft of the motor 60. The shaft body 56 is also provided with a small diameter gear portion 56a having a smaller diameter than the large diameter gear portion 56b, and the small diameter gear portion 56a rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the large diameter gear portion 56b. The gear portions 55a and 57a are also provided on the shaft body 55 supporting the driving roller 51a and the shaft body 57 supporting the driving roller 53a, respectively. The small diameter gear portion 56a of the shaft body 56 of the driving roller 52a is connected to the gear portions 55a and 57a of the shaft bodies 55 and 57 of the driving roller 51a and the driving roller 53a through the toothed belt 72, and they rotate in conjunction with each other. The tensioners 74 and 75 of the toothed belt 72 are arranged in front and behind the driving roller 52a, thereby applying a constant tension to the toothed belt 72. Finally, in the card reader 10, the driving rollers 51a, 52a and 53a are all driven by a single motor 60. Here, it is assumed that the combination of the conveying rollers, that is, the driving rollers and the driven rollers provided in the card reader 10 is three groups, but the number of conveying rollers is not limited to three groups, and can be less than two groups or more than four groups. In addition, the driven rollers 51b, 52b, 53b located on the lower surface side of the conveying path 40 are hidden by the driving rollers 51a, 52a, 53a located on the upper surface side of the conveying path 40, so that Figure 1 In (b), the driven rollers 51b, 52b, and 53b are not shown.

[0025] Figure 21 is a block diagram showing the functional structure of the card reader 10 as an electronic device. The control unit 20 is provided to control the overall operation of the card reader 10, and the control unit 20 can communicate with the host device 15 such as the ATM equipped with the card reader 10. The control unit 20 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer or a microprocessor, and operates by software. Sensors PD1, PD2, PD3, PDi, a magnetic head 46, and an IC contact block 47 are also connected to the control unit 20. The IC contact block 47 is usually located above the conveying path 40, but is pushed to the conveying path 40 side by a solenoid (not shown) controlled by the control unit 20, and is configured to be in electrical contact with the communication terminal 32 of the IC card 30 and to be able to communicate via the communication terminal 32. The motor 60 is attached with an encoder 62 connected to its rotating shaft, so that the rotation position of the motor 60 can be detected by the encoder 62. The motor 60 is a DC (direct current) motor, and is controlled by the control unit 20 via the drive circuit 21. The control unit 20 outputs a position command and a current command (or a torque command) for the motor 60 to the drive circuit 21, and the drive circuit 21 drives the motor 60 by servo control based on the command from the control unit 20. In order to perform the servo control, the rotation position information of the motor 60 is input to the drive circuit 21 from the encoder 62. The rotation position information of the motor 60 is also input to the control unit 20 from the encoder 62.

[0026] In the card reader 10, the control unit 20 controls the driving of the motor 60 according to the instruction from the host device 15 to suck and eject the IC card 30 into the card reader 10, and also reads and writes the data of the IC card 30 located on the conveying path 40. When reading and writing data to the magnetic stripe 31 of the IC card 30 through the magnetic head 46, or reading and writing data via the communication terminal 32 of the IC card 30 through the IC contact block 47, it is necessary to control so that the IC card 30 is conveyed at an appropriate speed in the conveying path 30 and the IC card 30 stops at an appropriate position, that is, the above-mentioned communication position. The program operated and controlled by the control unit 20 includes a routine for controlling the motor 60 and controlling the conveyance of the IC card 30 based on the detection results of the sensors PD1, PD2, PD3 and PDi. Regarding the arrangement of the magnetic head 46 , the IC contact block 47 , and the sensors PD1 , PD2 , PD3 , and PDi, the card reader 10 of this embodiment corresponds to a conventional general-purpose card reader that reads and writes data on an IC card 30 that is also provided with a magnetic stripe 31 .

[0027] Figure 3 3 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the control unit 20 to control the transmission of the IC card 30. In the case of a general IC card 30 without a light-transmitting area 33, the front end of the IC card 30 can be reliably controlled by the sensor PDi. Figure 3The IC card 30 is conveyed by the normal positioning process shown in (a) in the figure, so that the communication terminal 32 of the IC card 30 can be reliably positioned to the IC contact block 47 on the card reader 10 side. In the normal positioning process, in step 101, the control unit 20 monitors the output of the card detection switch (not shown) set at the insertion port 41, and waits until the IC card 30 is detected to be inserted into the insertion port 41. When the insertion of the IC card 30 is detected, in step 102, the control unit 20 controls the motor 68 to put the IC card 30 into the card reader 10, and moves the IC card 30 inwardly to the innermost position along the conveying path 40, and then reverses the conveying direction in step 103 to start conveying the IC card 30 to the front side. Then, the control unit 20 monitors the output of the sensor PDi, and waits in step 104 until the sensor PDi detects the front end of the IC card 30. The IC card 30 continues to move toward the front side until the front end of the IC card 30 is detected.

[0028] When the front end of the IC card 30 is detected in step 104, the control unit 20 immediately stops the transmission of the IC card 30 in step 105. In this state, the IC card 30 is positioned at the communication position, and the communication terminal 32 of the IC card 30 directly faces the front of the IC contact block 47 of the card reader 10. In step 106, the control unit 20 makes the IC contact block 47 contact the communication terminal 32 to start communication with the IC card 30. When the communication with the IC card 30 is completed, in step 107, the control unit 20 makes the IC contact block 47 retreat to the top of the transmission path 40, drives the motor 68 to further transmit the IC card 30 to the insertion port 41, and discharges the IC card 30 from the insertion port 41. Thus, the transmission of the IC card 30 based on the normal positioning process is completed. This normal positioning process is also performed by the control unit in the existing universal card reader.

[0029] In the case of a general IC card 30 without a light-transmitting area 33, the sensor PDi detects the front end of the IC card 30, so that the IC card 30 can be accurately positioned at the communication position in the transmission path 40 through the above-mentioned normal positioning process. Figure 1 As shown in (d), if the IC card 30 has a light-transmitting area 33, the sensor PDi cannot accurately detect the position of the front end of the IC card 30, resulting in the position of the communication terminal 32 deviating from the position corresponding to the IC contact block 47, and sometimes the card reader 10 cannot communicate with the IC card 30. In the card reader 10 of this embodiment, in order to accurately position the IC card 30 having the light-transmitting area 33 to the IC contact block 47, an extended positioning process is set as the control of the transmission of the IC card 30. The general positioning process and the extended positioning process are both implemented by the control unit 20 executing a software program.

[0030] Figure 3(b) shows the extended positioning process. In the extended positioning process, the control unit 20 first performs the processes of step 101 to step 103 in the normal positioning process as it is. When the transmission direction is reversed in step 103, the control unit 20 monitors the output of the sensor PD1 and waits until the sensor PD1 detects the rear end of the IC card 30 in step 111. The sensor PD1 is set in the transmission path 40 of the card reader 10 corresponding to the formation area of ​​the magnetic stripe 31, which is an area of ​​the IC card 30 that cannot become the light-transmitting area 33, and the front end of the IC card 30 is reliably detected by the sensor PD1. The IC card 30 continues to move toward the front side until the rear end of the IC card 30 is detected.

[0031] The distance D between the sensor PD1 and the sensor PDi along the transmission direction of the IC card 30 is shorter than the length L of the IC card 30. When the sensor PD1 detects the rear end of the IC card 30, the front end of the IC card 30 is located further back than the position of the sensor PDi. Therefore, when the control unit 20 detects the rear end of the IC card 30 in step 111, in step 112, the control unit 20 transmits the IC card 30 toward the insertion port 41 by a specified distance and stops the transmission of the IC card 30. The specified distance here is equal to the length L minus the distance D. By transmitting the IC card 30 by the specified distance, the front end of the IC card 30 moves to the position of the sensor PDi. In this state, the IC card 30 is in the communication position as in the case of the normal positioning process. Therefore, the control unit 20 executes the processing of steps 106 and 107 described in the above-mentioned normal positioning process. Thus, the transmission of the IC card 30 based on the extended positioning process ends.

[0032] Figure 1 (c) schematically shows the transfer process of the IC card 30 during the extended positioning process. Figure 1 State A in (c) shows the position of the IC card 30 in the card reader 10 when the conveying direction of the IC card 30 is reversed in step 103. State B shows the state in which the rear edge of the IC card 30 is detected by the sensor PD1 in step 111, and state C shows the state in which the IC card 30 is conveyed a predetermined distance in step 112 and is in the communication position.

[0033] In the card reader 10 of the present embodiment, in order to communicate with the IC card 30 and at least read data from the IC card 30, a normal positioning process or an extended positioning process is performed. Which process is to be performed can be specified by a command sent from the host device 15 to the control unit 20. For example, when the host device 15 knows that the IC card 30 issued by a specific customer and the IC card 30 is not provided with a light-transmitting area 33, a command can be sent from the host device 15 to perform a normal positioning process. Conversely, when it is known that the IC card 30 issued by the customer is provided with a light-transmitting area 33, a command can be sent from the host device 15 to the control unit 20 to perform an extended positioning process. In addition, after the host device 15 sends an instruction to perform a normal positioning process to the control unit 20, when receiving a notification of a reading failure from the control unit 20, it can send an instruction to perform an extended positioning process to the control unit 20. In addition, since the processing up to step 102 is common in the normal positioning processing and the extended positioning processing, when the IC card is transmitted to the rear side in step 102, the control unit 20 on the card reader 10 side can monitor the detection result of each of the sensors PD1, PD2, PD3 and PDi and analyze the transfer of the detection results from each sensor, and perform the normal positioning processing when a transfer pattern identical to the transfer pattern of the IC card 30 assumed to be without the light-transmitting area 33 is obtained, and perform the extended positioning processing when a different transfer pattern is obtained.

[0034] According to the card reader 10 of the present embodiment described above, as the sensors PD1, PD2, PD3, PDi for detecting the position of the IC card 30, inexpensive and simple optical sensors can be used, and the IC card 30 having a transparent area or a translucent area can be accurately positioned at the position of the IC contact block 47, and data can be read and written on the IC card 30 normally. Description of symbols

[0035] 10...Card reader; 15...upper device; 20...Control Department; 21...Drive circuit; 30...IC card; 31...Magnetic stripe; 32...communication terminals; 33...Translucent area; 34...Insert direction indicator mark; 40...Transmission path; 41...Insert port; 43...Guide; 46...head; 47...IC contact block; 51a, 52a, 53a ... driving rollers; 51b, 52b, 53b ... driven rollers; 60...Electric motor; 62...Encoder; PD1, PD2, PD3, PDi... sensors.

Claims

1. A card positioning method in a card reader, wherein the card reader reads data from at least an IC card having a communication terminal, characterized in that: The card reader includes: a conveying path having an insertion port at one end for inserting the IC card from the front end of the IC card; a conveying roller arranged along the conveying path and conveying the IC card; a motor driving the conveying roller; an IC contact block electrically contacting the communication terminal of the IC card; and a plurality of sensors arranged on the conveying path along the conveying direction of the IC card and detecting the IC card. The plurality of sensors are optical sensors that detect that the optical path is cut off by the IC card being transmitted. A first sensor among the plurality of sensors is provided along the conveying path at a position closer to the one end side of the conveying path than the IC contact block. When the position of the IC card in the transmission path and the position where the IC contact block can make electrical contact with the communication terminal are set as the communication position, and the IC card is positioned at the communication position in the transmission path, an extended positioning process is performed, and the extended positioning process includes: a first conveying step of conveying the IC card inserted into the insertion port along the conveying path toward the other end of the conveying path; and A second conveying step is performed to reverse the conveying direction of the IC card after the first conveying step, and then, when the first sensor detects the rear end of the IC card, further convey the IC card by a predetermined distance and then stop conveying.

2. The card positioning method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The IC card has a non-light-transmitting area, which is formed to extend from the front end to the rear end of the IC card along the conveying direction of the IC card. The first sensor is provided on the conveying path at a position corresponding to the light-impermeable region.

3. The card positioning method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The second sensor among the plurality of sensors is provided at a position closer to the other end side of the conveyance path than the first sensor and at a position corresponding to the front end of the IC card located at the communication position.

4. The card positioning method according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the IC card is positioned at the communication position within the transmission path, either the extended positioning process or the normal positioning process is selected and executed, The general positioning process includes: the first conveying step; and A third conveying step is performed in which the conveying direction of the IC card is reversed after the first conveying step, and then the conveying is stopped when the second sensor detects the leading end of the IC card.

5. The card positioning method according to claim 4, characterized in that: Either the extended positioning process or the normal positioning process is selected based on a transition pattern of outputs of each of the plurality of sensors when the first transport step is performed.

6. A card reader for reading data from at least an IC card having a communication terminal, characterized in that: include: A conveying path having an insertion port at one end for inserting the IC card from the front end of the IC card; A conveying roller arranged along the conveying path and conveying the IC card; a motor for driving the conveying roller; an IC contact block electrically contacting the communication terminal of the IC card; a plurality of sensors provided on the conveying path along the conveying direction of the IC card and detecting the IC card; and A control unit for controlling the motor based on outputs of the plurality of sensors, The plurality of sensors are optical sensors that detect that the optical path is cut off by the IC card being transmitted. A first sensor among the plurality of sensors is provided along the conveying path at a position closer to the one end side of the conveying path than the IC contact block. The position of the IC card in the conveying path and the position where the IC contact block can make electrical contact with the communication terminal is set as a communication position, and the control unit controls the motor to perform an extended positioning process to position the IC card at the communication position in the conveying path, and the extended positioning process includes: a first conveying process, the first conveying process conveying the IC card inserted into the insertion port along the conveying path to the other end of the conveying path; and a second conveying step, wherein the conveying direction of the IC card is reversed after the first conveying step, and then when the first sensor detects the rear end of the IC card, the IC card is further conveyed a predetermined distance and then the conveying is stopped.

7. The card reader according to claim 6, characterized in that: The IC card has a non-light-transmitting area, which is formed to extend from the front end to the rear end of the IC card along the conveying direction of the IC card. The first sensor is provided on the conveying path at a position corresponding to the light-impermeable region.

8. The card reader according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The second sensor among the plurality of sensors is provided at a position closer to the other end side of the conveyance path than the first sensor and at a position corresponding to the front end of the IC card located at the communication position.

9. The card reader according to claim 8, characterized in that: When the IC card is positioned at the communication position within the transmission path, the control unit selects and executes either the extended positioning process or the normal positioning process. The general positioning process includes: the first conveying step; and A third conveying step is performed after the first conveying step, in which the conveying direction of the IC card is reversed and then the conveying is stopped when the second sensor detects the leading end of the IC card.

10. The card reader according to claim 9, characterized in that: The control unit selects and executes either the extended positioning process or the normal positioning process based on a transition pattern of outputs of each of the plurality of sensors when the first transport step is performed.

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