CARD LOADER FOR A CARD PROCESSING MACHINE
The card loader with a separation system and ballast mechanism addresses inefficiencies in card separation, ensuring stable and efficient handling of plastic cards in processing machines.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- FR2023007375
- Authority / Receiving Office
- FR · FR
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-07-10
- Publication Date
- 2025-11-14
- Estimated Expiration
- 2043-07-10
AI Technical Summary
Existing card feeders in card processing machines do not provide satisfactory card separation systems, leading to inefficiencies in handling large volumes of plastic cards.
A card loader with a separation system comprising a separation roller, a drive system, a ballast that moves between support and retracted positions, and a transmission and return system to facilitate card separation and support, ensuring stable card handling.
The solution provides reliable and efficient separation of cards, minimizing friction and hindrance during card insertion and processing, enhancing the overall operation of card processing machines.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Title of the invention: CARD LOADER FOR A CARD PROCESSING MACHINE technical field
[0001] The present invention relates to a card loader for a card processing machine, as well as a processing machine comprising such a card loader. PRIOR TECHNOLOGY
[0002] There are processing machines designed to process plastic cards, such as bank cards. Such a processing machine is, for example, a printer that prints a design onto the card, or an encoding machine that encodes a chip on the card. To this end, the processing machine is equipped with a processing module that acts on the card.
[0003] To process such cards on a large scale, it is known to use a card loader upstream of the processing module.
[0004] Such a card feeder generally comprises a reservoir where the cards are stacked one on top of the other and a separation system that takes the cards one after the other, separating them. Various separation systems have been implemented, but they are not always satisfactory, and it is therefore necessary to find a card feeder with a different separation system. Description of the invention
[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a card loader for a card processing machine which has means for ensuring good support on a drive roller.
[0006] To this end, a card loader for a processing machine is proposed, said card loader comprising:
[0007] - a chassis,
[0008] - a reservoir at the base of which a tray is arranged and, above the tray, a support designed to hold a stack of cards,
[0009] - a separation system comprising a separation roller arranged at the level of the a platform and a drive system arranged to move the rotating separation roller,
[0010] - a ballast mounted movably on the chassis between a support position in which the ballast is resting on top of the stack and in a retracted position in which the ballast is on one side of the stack,
[0011] - a door mounted movable on the chassis between an open position allowing access to the tank and a closed position preventing access to the tank,
[0012] - a transmission system arranged to move the ballast from the support position to the retracted position when the door moves from the closed position to the open position, and
[0013] - a return system arranged to return the ballast to the support position when it is in retracted position.
[0014] Advantageously, the ballast is mounted to rotate about a tilting axis parallel to the axis of the separation roller, the tilting axis is arranged so that the center of gravity of the ballast is vertically above the tilting axis and horizontally between the tilting axis and the tank, when the ballast is in the retracted position, and the return system is gravity.
[0015] Advantageously, the transmission system comprises:
[0016] - a cam attached to the door,
[0017] - a shaft attached to the ballast parallel to the tilting axis and offset from this last, and
[0018] - a slider mounted movable in translation on the chassis parallel to a direction of translation and comprising a stop constituting a follower element for the cam where the slide moves from a first position corresponding to a support position of the ballast to a second position corresponding to the retracted position of the ballast, when the cam moves from the closed position to the open position, and having a housing in which said shaft is housed, and where the housing is arranged to prevent any movement parallel to the direction of translation between the slide and the shaft, and to allow movements perpendicular to the direction of translation between the slide and the shaft.
[0019] The invention also proposes a card processing machine comprising a card loader according to one of the preceding variants, a processing module and a transport system comprising means for moving cards from the card loader to the processing module. Brief description of the drawings
[0020] The features of the invention mentioned above, as well as others, will become clearer upon reading the following description of an exemplary embodiment, said description being made in relation to the accompanying drawings, among which:
[0021] [Fig-1] is a schematic representation of a processing machine according to the invention,
[0022] [Fig.2] is a perspective and front view of a card charger according to the invention,
[0023] [Fig.3] is a side view along arrow III and a cross-section through a vertical plane of the card loader of the [Fig.2],
[0024] [Fig.4] is a side view along arrow IV of the card loader of [Fig.2],
[0025] [Fig.5] is a top and cross-sectional view along plane VV of the card loader of the [Fig. 4], and
[0026] [Fig.6] is a cross-sectional view of the card loader of [Fig.5] by plane VI-VI.
[0027] DETAILED STATEMENT OF IMPROVEMENTS
[0028] In the following description, terms relating to a position are taken with reference to a processing machine 100 comprising a card loader 150 according to the invention, where the processing machine 100 is in the position of use, that is to say as it is represented in [Fig.1].
[0029] The processing machine 100 comprises a card feeder 150 according to the invention, a processing module 102, and a transport system 104 which includes means for moving the cards from the card feeder 150 to the processing module 102. These means conventionally include rollers that grip the cards and motors that drive the rotating rollers. The processing module 102 is thus downstream of the card feeder 150 with respect to the direction D of movement of the cards by the transport system 104. The processing module 102 is, for example, a printer or an encoding module, etc. The processing module 102 and the transport system 104 will not be described in more detail, as they can take any form known to those skilled in the art.
[0030] Figs. 2 to 6 show the card feeder 150 from different angles. The card feeder 150 comprises a chassis 152 which is integral with the chassis of the processing machine 100. The chassis 152 of the card feeder 150 may be part of the chassis of the processing machine 100 or an added and fixed element.
[0031] The card loader 150 includes a reservoir 156 which is delimited here by three vertical walls 156a-c, namely a bottom wall 156c and two side walls 156a-b arranged on either side of the bottom wall 156c. These vertical walls 156a-c are integral with the chassis 152 and thus form, when viewed from above, a U where the side walls 156a-b form the arms of the U and where the bottom wall 156c forms the base of the U.
[0032] In its lower part, the reservoir 156 has a platform 154 which forms the base of the reservoir 156 and above which is provided a support 154a which serves as a support for a stack 52 of cards 50 placed on it, such as plastic cards. The stack 52 of cards 50 thus consists of a vertical stack of cards 50 which are placed flat on top of each other and on the support 154a. The stack 52 of cards 50 is thus arranged between the vertical walls 156a-c and on the support 154a. The positioning of the support 154a, with a smaller surface area compared to the platform 154, minimizes friction between the cards 50 when they move.
[0033] The card loader 150 also includes a door 162 which is movably mounted on the chassis 152 and which forms the fourth wall of the reservoir 156. The door 162 is thus movably mounted on the chassis 152 between an open position allowing access to The interior of reservoir 156 and the placement of cards 50 on the support 154a, and a closed position preventing access to reservoir 156 by enclosing the cards 50 within reservoir 156 and vice versa. The door 162 thus closes the U formed by the vertical walls 156a-c.
[0034] In the embodiment of the invention presented here, the door 162 is mobile in rotation around a door axis 162a here vertical.
[0035] In the lower part of the reservoir 156, the card loader 150 also includes a separation system 158 which is arranged to separate the cards 50 stored in the reservoir 156 from each other, by moving them successively through the bottom wall 156c in a drive direction F which is then extended by the movement direction D.
[0036] The separation system 158 includes a separation roller 158a which is arranged on the tray 154 in a transverse direction relative to the drive direction F. The separation roller 158a is mounted to rotate freely on the frame 152 about its axis 158b. The cards 50 are thus in contact with the top of the separation roller 158a and the top of the support 154a.
[0037] The separation system 158 also includes a drive system, such as a motor, mounted on the frame 152, which is arranged to drive the separation roller 158a in rotation in the direction of arrow R to drive the card 50 in the direction of the drive direction F. The processing machine 100 or the card loader 150 includes a control unit arranged to control the drive system as required.
[0038] The stack 52 of cards 50 thus rests on the separation roller 158a and the support 154a, and the separation is thus carried out from the bottom of the stack 52, that is to say that the separation roller 158a drives the card 50 which is the lowest, that is to say the one which rests on the separation roller 158a and the support 154a, to pull it out of the stack 52 and move it in the direction of the drive direction F through the bottom wall 156c by a window 164 which the bottom wall 156c presents for this purpose.
[0039] Typically, window 164 is sized in height to allow only one 50 card to pass through at a time.
[0040] The separation roller 158a carries the card 50 to the transport system 104 which takes charge of it to take it to the processing module 102 and expels it from machine 100 after processing.
[0041] To help separate the cards 50 by the separation roller 158a, the support 154a is arranged so that the lowest card 50 has an orientation with a downward slope towards the separation roller 158a.
[0042] The card loader 150 also includes a weight 160 which is movably mounted on the chassis 152 between a resting position (solid lines in [Fig. 3]) and a position eclipsed (ghost lines on [Fig.3])
[0043] In the supported position, the weight 160 rests on the top of the stack 52, i.e. on the card 50, which is the highest, and in the retracted position, the weight 160 is on one side of the stack 52, here at the front of the stack 52, without pressing on the stack 52. The support position of the weight 160 varies according to the number of cards 50 that remain.
[0044] In the support position, the ballast 160 is thus in the reservoir 156 and, in the retracted position, it is outside the reservoir 156. Between the support position and the retracted position, the ballast 160 passes through the bottom wall 156c by a passage 166 which the bottom wall 156c presents for this purpose above the window 164.
[0045] In the support position, the weight 160 presses the cards 50 against the separation roller 158a to aid separation.
[0046] In the retracted position, the ballast 160 is not in contact with the cards 50 and it is the cumulative weight of the cards 50 in the stack 52 which acts to press the cards 50 against the separation roller 158a.
[0047] According to a particular embodiment, the weight of ballast 160 is equivalent to the weight of 15 cards ±3.
[0048] The card loader 150 also includes a transmission system 170 arranged to move the weight 160 from the support position to the retracted position when the door 162 moves from the closed position to the open position. Thus, when a user opens the door 162, the weight 160 moves to the retracted position to allow access above the support 154a and the separation roller 158a to permit the insertion of a stack 52 of cards 50.
[0049] When the stack 52 of cards 50 which is deposited is relatively high, that is above the weight 160, said weight 160 remains stuck in the retracted position because it is pressing against the side of the stack 52 (see the retracted position on [Fig.3]), here the front of the stack 52, and this support prevents it from returning to the support position.
[0050] As the stack 52 decreases, the card 50, which is the highest in the stack 52, descends. When this card 50 passes below the level of the ballast 160, said ballast 160 is then free to return to its support position by resting on said highest card 50 and following it as it descends.
[0051] The transmission system 170 is also not designed to bring the ballast 160 back into the support position, so as not to force the ballast 160 against the stack 52 when the door 162 moves from the open position to the closed position.
[0052] To ensure the return of the ballast 160 to the support position, the card loader 150 includes a return system 172 arranged to automatically return the ballast 160 to the support position when it is retracted. This return system 172 is separate from the transmission system 170 so as not to link the return of the ballast 160 to the closing of the door 162.
[0053] With such an arrangement, the ballast 160 helps to pick up the cards 50 by the separation system 158, without hindering the placement of the cards 50 in the reservoir 156 and without forcing the ballast 160 against the stack 52.
[0054] In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 6, the ballast 160 is mounted to rotate about a tilting axis 160a oriented in a transverse direction, i.e. parallel to the axis 158b of the separating roller 158a.
[0055] Here, the ballast 160 comprises a weight 160b and two arms 160c which are fixed to the weight 160b and where each is mounted to rotate freely around the tilting axis 160a.
[0056] The tilting axis 160a is arranged so that the center of gravity G of the ballast 160, i.e. here of the weight 160b and the arms 160c, is vertically above the tilting axis 160a and horizontally between the tilting axis 160a and the tank 156, and therefore the stack 52, when the ballast 160 is in the retracted position.
[0057] Thus, in this position, gravity tends to bring the ballast 160 back into the support position when the ballast 160 is no longer in support against the pier 52. As the height of the pier 52 decreases, the pressure exerted by the ballast 160 will increase.
[0058] Thus, in this embodiment, the return system 172 is the gravity which acts on the ballast 160 at its center of gravity G.
[0059] In another embodiment not shown, a spring can be arranged to return the ballast 160 to the support position when it is moved away from it.
[0060] In the embodiment of the invention presented here, the transmission system 170 includes a slide 174 which is mounted movably in translation on the chassis 152 parallel to a direction of translation T perpendicular to the tilting axis 160a, and here globally horizontal.
[0061] In the embodiment of the invention presented here, the translational movement is achieved by fixing the slide 174 on the frame 152 by two fixing screws 174a which are screwed into the frame 152 through oblong holes 174b which pass through the slide 174, and where the major axis of each oblong hole 174b is parallel to the direction of translation T.
[0062] Of course, it is possible to achieve this translational movement by other means such as rails for example.
[0063] The slide 174 is also linked to the ballast 160 by means of a pivot-sliding joint 176. For this purpose, the transmission system 170 comprises a shaft 176a integral with the ballast 160 and a housing 176b which is made in the slide 174.
[0064] The shaft 176a is parallel to the tilting axis 160a but offset from it. Thus, any movement of the shaft 176a will cause the ballast 160 to rotate around the tilting axis 160a and vice versa.
[0065] Housing 176b is dimensioned to prevent any parallel movement to translation direction T between slide 174 and shaft 176a and allow displacements perpendicular to the translation direction T, here vertical displacements, between slide 174 and shaft 176a.
[0066] Thus, as soon as the slide 174 moves along the translation direction T, the shaft 176a is forced to move at the same time and, due to the rotation of the ballast 160 around the tilting axis 160a, the shaft 176a moves perpendicularly to the translation direction T in the housing 176b.
[0067] On the contrary, as soon as the shaft 176a moves in rotation under the effect of the ballast 160, the slide 174 is forced to move at the same time along the direction of translation T and the shaft 176a moves perpendicularly to the direction of translation T in the housing 176b.
[0068] The slide 174 thus moves between a first position corresponding to the support position of the ballast 160 when there is no more card 50 in the reservoir 156 and a second position corresponding to the retracted position of the ballast 160.
[0069] The transmission system 170 also includes a cam 162b attached to the door 162 and which therefore moves with it during its movement between the open and closed positions.
[0070] The slide 174 includes a stop 174c which acts as a follower for the cam 162b as it moves from the closed position to the open position. The cam 162b and the stop 174c are arranged so that the stop 174c follows the cam 162b as it moves from the closed position to the open position, and the slide 174 then moves from the first position (weight 160 support position) to the second position (weight 160 retracted position). However, the stop 174c, and therefore the slide 174, are not constrained to follow the cam 162b as the latter moves from the open position to the closed position.
[0071] The cam 162b here takes the form of an arc of a circle coaxial with the door axis 162a and the stop 174c takes the form of a wall of the slide 174c, where the wall is positioned so as to be pushed by the cam 162b when it moves from the closed position to the open position and so as to move the slide 174 from the first position to the second position.
[0072] The operation is then as follows from the closed position of the door 162 and the support position of the ballast 160 and therefore to the first position of the slide 174.
[0073] A user manipulates the door 162 to place it in the open position; the interaction between the cam 162b and the stop 174c forces the slide 174 to move into the second position, and the interaction between the housing 176b and the shaft 176a causes the ballast 160 to move into its retracted position. The user can then place the cards 50 into the reservoir 156.
[0074] The user manipulates the door 162 to place it in the closed position. The cam 162b does not act on the stop 174c which therefore remains in the same position because the ballast 160 is blocked by the stack 52. As the stack decreases, the ballast 160 will pivot around the tilting axis 160a moving from the retracted position to the support position and driving the shaft 176a and, due to the cooperation of the shaft 176a with the housing 176b, the slide 174 will move towards its first position.
Claims
Demands
1. A card loader (150) for a processing machine (100), said card loader (150) comprising: - a chassis (152), - a reservoir (156) at the base of which is arranged a tray (154) and, above the tray (154), a support (154a) for receiving a stack (52) of cards (50), - a separation system (158) comprising a separation roller (158a) arranged at the level of the tray (154) and a drive system arranged to rotate the separation roller (158a), - a weight (160) movably mounted on the chassis (152) between a resting position in which the weight (160) rests on the top of the stack (52) and a retracted position in which the weight (160) is on one side of the stack (52), where the weight (160) is arranged to remain wedged in the retracted position against the side of the stack (52) as long as the top of the stack (52) is above the ballast (160),- a door (162) movably mounted on the chassis (152) between an open position allowing access to the tank (158) and a closed position preventing access to the tank (158), - a transmission system (170) arranged to move the ballast (160) from the support position to the retracted position when the door (162) moves from the closed position to the open position, and - a return system (172) arranged to return the ballast (160) to the support position when it is in the retracted position.
2. Card loader (150) according to claim 1, characterized in that the ballast (160) is mounted movable in rotation about a tilting axis (160a) parallel to the axis (158b) of the separation roller (158a), in that the tilting axis (160a) is arranged so that the center of gravity (G) of the ballast (160) is vertically above the tilting axis (160a) and horizontally between the tilting axis (160a) and the reservoir (156), when the ballast (160) is in the retracted position, and in that the return system (172) is gravity.
3. Card loader (150) according to claim 2, characterized in that the transmission system (170) comprises: - a cam (162b) integral with the door (162), - a shaft (176) integral with the weight (160) parallel to the tilting axis
4. (160a) and offset from the latter, and - a slide (174) mounted movably in translation on the frame (152) parallel to a direction of translation (T) and having a stop (174c) constituting a follower element for the cam (162b) where the slide (174) moves from a first position corresponding to a support position of the ballast (160) to a second position corresponding to the retracted position of the ballast (160), when the cam (162b) moves from the closed position to the open position, and having a housing (176b) in which said shaft (176a) is housed, and where the housing (176b) is arranged to prevent any movement parallel to the direction of translation (T) between the slide (174) and the shaft (176a) and to allow movements perpendicular to the direction of translation (T) between the slide (174) and the shaft (176a). Card processing machine (100) comprising a card feeder (150) according to any one of the preceding claims, a processing module (102) and a transport system (104) comprising means for moving the cards (50) from the card feeder (150) to the processing module (102).