Card conveyance apparatus and card conveyance method

Abstract

To provide a card conveyance apparatus which has a simple apparatus configuration, and, from a stack of cards in which plural cards are stacked, can securely pick up and convey the cards one by one.SOLUTION: A card conveyance apparatus 1 comprises: a card feed part 2 which has claw parts for supporting an edge part of a first card 101 arranged at a lower end of a stack of cards from below and can store the stack of cards; a card removal part 3 which has a suction part 31 for sucking the first card 101, curving the card downwards, and climbing the same over the claw parts so as to be pulled out from the card feed part 2 and a first air blow part 32 for blowing compressed air from a side face; and a card conveyance part 4 having a holding part 46 for fixing the card feed part 2 in a state of being tilted by a first angle, a conveyance passage 41 tilted by a second angle so that the first card 101 slides down due to its own weight and a second air blow part 44 for blowing air from below the conveyance passage 41.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a card transport device and a card transport method for picking out and transporting cards one by one from a stack of cards. [Background technology]

[0002] When manufacturing and processing cards such as credit cards and cash cards, or when performing an issuance process in which data is written to the magnetic stripe of the card or the IC chip built into the card, it is necessary to prepare in advance a card stacker containing multiple cards. By attaching such a card stacker to a device, cards can be taken out one by one from the card stacker, and cards can be manufactured, processed, issued, etc. efficiently. As a method for taking out cards one by one from the card stacker, for example, there is a method in which a driving roller is pressed against the top or bottom end of a stack of stacked cards to feed out one card in the horizontal direction. There is also a method in which a suction cup of a suction head is pressed against the top or bottom end of a stack of stacked cards to suck up only one card and move it vertically. In the former method, there are concerns that the card may be scratched due to contact between the driving roller and the card, or scratched due to rubbing between the upper and lower cards. In the latter method, scratching of the card can be suppressed, but a problem of so-called double picking may occur in which the sucked card and the adjacent card are transported together.

[0003] The causes of this double take include electrical attraction and physical attraction. The former is caused by static electricity. Resin cards are insulators and are easily charged with static electricity. When adjacent cards rub against each other, a positive charge accumulates on the contact surface of one card and a negative charge accumulates on the contact surface of the other card. This creates an electrical attraction that attracts them to each other. The latter is caused by minute amounts of moisture in the air or on the card surfaces that are present on the contact surfaces of the cards. This causes the area around the contact surfaces to become sealed, and the difference in air pressure between the area around the contact surfaces and the outside creates an attraction, or the gaps between the cards are filled by the influence of this moisture, which increases the van der Waals force and creates an attraction.

[0004] Various proposals have been made to prevent double picking, and Patent Document 1 describes a work supply device that picks up one workpiece from multiple elastic workpieces. This device has a magazine in which multiple workpieces to be supplied are stacked and has a support part that supports the peripheral part of the workpiece located in the lowest layer with a predetermined supporting force, and a separation device that applies a suction force against the supporting force of the support part to the workpiece stacked in the lowest layer of the magazine and supported by the support part, and separates only the workpiece while bending it.

[0005] Patent Document 2 describes a card removal device that removes one card from a card stack formed by stacking a plurality of rectangular flat cards. This device includes a pair of receiving members that receive the opposing edges of the bottom surface of the stack from below, a drive mechanism that moves the pair of receiving members closer to and farther apart, a suction means that adsorbs the center of the bottom surface of the lowest card and sucks it downward, and a support member that supports the vicinity of the pair of opposing edges of the lowest card when the suction means has sucked the center of the bottom surface of the lowest card, and bends the center of the lowest card so that it is convex downward. When the lowest card is bent, the drive mechanism separates the receiving members, making the distance between the receiving members larger than the distance between the opposing edges of the lowest card.

[0006] Furthermore, Patent Document 3 describes a printing device that prints on cards. This device includes a print head that prints on cards and a card supply unit that supplies cards one by one before printing. The card supply unit includes a card storage unit that stores a plurality of cards before printing in a vertically stacked manner, a support means that supports one and the other edge of the lowest card, which is the lowest card among the plurality of cards stacked in the vertical direction, and a suction means that suctions the lowest card. The suction means suctions the lower surface of the lowest card at a position that is offset in either direction from the center of the card located between the one and the other edge of the card supported by the support means, and bends the card downward to remove the lowest card. It is further described that the card supply unit may further include an intermediate storage unit that stores a plurality of cards above the card storage unit, and an upper storage unit that stores a plurality of cards above the intermediate storage unit. The intermediate storage unit is a unit that supplies a plurality of cards to the card storage unit by dropping the stored cards. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-267405 [Patent Document 2] JP 2009-23800 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2016-137994 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In the cited documents 1 and 2, a support part is provided on the periphery or edge of the card, and the bottom card is sucked and bent downward while being pulled out, but depending on the number of stacked cards, a considerable load may be applied from above to the bottom card. Therefore, it may be difficult to effectively separate the bottom card. In the cited document 3, an intermediate storage part is provided above the card storage part to reduce the load from above on the bottom card. However, the structure of the card supply part becomes complicated, and there are concerns about ensuring stable operation and increasing the workload for adjustment.

[0009] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has an objective of providing a card transport device and a card transport method that have a simple device configuration and can reliably remove and transport cards one by one from a stack of multiple cards. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] A first configuration of a card transport device according to this embodiment, which removes and transports cards one by one from a stack of multiple cards, includes a card supply unit having a pair of claw portions supporting from below the edges of two opposing sides of a first card located at the bottom end of the stack of cards and capable of storing the stack of cards, a card removal unit having a suction unit that suctions and bends the first card downward and removes the first card from the card supply unit downward in the stacking direction of the card stack by climbing over the claw portions, and a first air blow unit that blows compressed air from a side of the card stack between the first card and a second card adjacent thereto above, and a card transport unit having a holding unit that fixes the card supply unit in a state in which the stacking direction of the card stack is inclined at a first angle, which is an acute angle, from the vertical direction, a transport path inclined at a second angle, which is an acute angle, from the horizontal direction so that the first card removed from the card supply unit slides down by its own weight, and a second air blow unit that blows air from below the transport path through a hole formed in the transport path.

[0011] In addition, a second configuration of a card conveying device according to another embodiment of the present invention, which removes and conveys cards one by one from a stack of multiple cards, may be such that in the first configuration described above, the first angle and the second angle are the same angle.

[0012] In addition, a third configuration of a card conveying device according to another embodiment of the present invention, which removes and conveys cards one by one from a stack of multiple cards, may be such that in the first or second configuration described above, the first angle is greater than or equal to 20° and less than or equal to 35°.

[0013] Furthermore, according to another embodiment of the present invention, a fourth configuration of a card transporting device that removes and transports cards one by one from a stack of multiple cards may be any of the first to third configurations described above, wherein the first air blowing units are provided in two locations on the side of the stack of cards, and when viewed from the normal direction of the side, the centers of the two first air blowing units are within a distance range from a straight line along the stacking direction of the stack of cards that passes through the center of the first card before suction to 1 / 4 of the length of the first card.

[0014] Furthermore, according to another embodiment of the present invention, a fifth configuration of a card transport device that removes and transports cards one by one from a stack of multiple cards is any of the first to fourth configurations described above, wherein the second air blowing units are provided at two locations along the transport path, and when viewed along the transport direction of the removed first card, the pitch of each of the two second air blowing units is within a range of a distance of more than 1 / 4 and less than 3 / 4 of the length of the first card along the transport direction.

[0015] Furthermore, a sixth configuration of the card transport method according to this embodiment for removing and transporting cards one by one from a stack of cards includes the steps of: storing the stack of cards in a card supply unit capable of storing the stack of cards, the card supply unit having a pair of claw portions supporting from below the edges of two opposing sides of a first card located at the bottom end of the stack of cards; fixing the card supply unit in a state in which the stacking direction of the stack of cards is tilted at a first angle, which is an acute angle, from the vertical; sucking and bending the first card downward while blowing compressed air from a side of the stack of cards between the first card and a second card adjacent thereto above, and removing the first card from the card supply unit downward along the stacking direction of the stack of cards, while the first card overcomes the claw portions; and sliding the first card removed from the card supply unit down along the transport path inclined at a second angle, which is an acute angle, from the horizontal, while blowing air from below the transport path through a hole formed in the transport path. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a card transporting device and a card transporting method that have a simple device configuration and can reliably pick up and transport cards one by one from a stack of multiple cards. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an example of a card transport device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating the card transport device as viewed from the -Y direction. [Diagram 3] 3 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the card removal portion in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a card transport method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] An example of a card transport device and a card transport method according to the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings, etc. However, the card transport device and the card transport method according to the present disclosure are not limited to the device and the method according to the embodiment described below.

[0019] The figures shown below are schematic. Therefore, the size, shape, thickness of each layer in the cross-sectional view, etc. are appropriately exaggerated to facilitate understanding. In addition, hatching showing the cross section of the member is appropriately omitted in each figure. The numerical values ​​of the dimensions and material names of each member described in this specification are examples of embodiments, and are not limited to these and can be appropriately selected and used. In this specification, terms that specify the shape or geometric conditions, such as parallel, orthogonal, and vertical, are intended to include substantially the same state in addition to their strict meaning. In addition, for convenience of explanation, the terms "upper" or "lower" may be used in the description relative to the paper, but the up-down direction may be reversed, and the same applies to the left-right direction.

[0020] 1. Embodiments of the present disclosure A typical embodiment of the card transport device of the present disclosure will be described. Here, for convenience of describing the card transport device 1, an XYZ coordinate system is provided. As shown in FIG. 1, in the card transport device 1, an X axis is provided along the horizontal component of the moving direction of the card 101 moving on the transport path 41 of the card transport unit 4, and a Z axis is provided along the vertical direction. In addition, an X axis perpendicular to the X axis and the Z axis is provided. On the horizontal X axis, the horizontal component of the direction from the high side to the low side of the inclination of the inclined platform 45 is the +X direction side, and the opposite direction is the -X direction side. In addition, when the +X direction is viewed to the right, the direction toward the near side is the -Y direction side, the opposite direction is the +Y direction side, the vertical upward is the +Z direction side, and the vertical downward is the -Z direction side.

[0021] The card transport device 1 stores and transports magnetic cards and IC cards such as credit cards and cash cards that comply with the ISO / IEC 7810 and 7816 standards. The card transport device 1 is connected to other processing devices, issuing devices, etc. as necessary to transport cards one by one from a plurality of cards stored in the card transport device 1 and sequentially supplies the cards to other processing devices, issuing devices, etc. However, the cards that are the target of the card transport device 1 may not be ones that comply with the ISO / IEC 7810 and 7816 standards.

[0022] 1, the card transport device 1 is a device that picks up and transports cards 101 one by one from the bottom of a card stack 100 in which multiple cards 101 are stacked. The card transport device 1 includes a card supply unit 2, a card removal unit 3, a card transport unit 4, and a card stacking unit 5. The configuration of the card transport device 1 will be described in detail below.

[0023] [a] Configuration of card transport device [i] Card Supply Department As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the card supply unit 2 is a portion capable of storing a stacked card bundle 100 consisting of a plurality of cards 101. The card supply unit 2 is mainly composed of a card stacker 21 that stores the card bundle 100. The card stacker 21 may be a hollow, approximately rectangular parallelepiped, cylindrical container capable of storing the card bundle 100. The card stacker 21 is preferably provided at its upper end with an opening 23 through which the card 101 can be inserted and removed. However, from the viewpoint of facilitating the insertion and removal of the cards 101 and improving visibility of the remaining number of stored cards 101 and malfunctions such as tilting and clogging of the cards 101, a specific side of the card stacker 21 may be partially or entirely open.

[0024] The card stacker 21 of this embodiment has most of its side surface on the front side, i.e., the -Y direction side, open, and is provided with guide pieces 22 that extend only on both ends of the side surface along the stacking direction of the card stack 100 in order to hold the card stack 100. Such a configuration of the card stacker 21 improves the operability of refilling the card stack 100 from the outside, and makes it easier to check the remaining amount of stored cards 101 and check the status of any defects in the cards 101.

[0025] A pair of claws 24 are provided below the card stacker 21 to support from below two opposing edge portions of the card 101 placed at the bottom of the card stack 100. The card 101 placed at the bottom of the card stack 100 may hereinafter be referred to as the first card 101a for convenience. Also, the card 101 placed immediately above the first card 101a, i.e., the card 101 adjacent to and above the first card 101a, may hereinafter be referred to as the second card 101b for convenience.

[0026] The claw portion 24 is a portion having a function of supporting, from below, a part or all of the edges between two opposing short sides of the first card 101a. However, the claw portion 24 may support, from below, a part or all of the edges between two opposing long sides of the first card 101a, or may support, from below, a part or all of the edges of one or two other sides including the two opposing sides of the first card 101a.

[0027] The edge portion is a region having a predetermined width from the contour of the outer periphery of first card 101a toward the inside when first card 101a is viewed in a plan view from the normal direction thereof.

[0028] The configuration of the claw portion 24 is not particularly limited as long as it can support a part or the whole of the edge of the first card 101a from below. In this embodiment, a triangular configuration with a horizontal upper end in a side view or cross-sectional view in FIG. 3 is illustrated as an example, but it goes without saying that other shapes are also acceptable. The predetermined width of the edge of the claw portion 24 supporting the first card 101a can be appropriately determined. If the predetermined width is small, the first card 101a is likely to fall downward from the card stacker 21, and if the predetermined width is large, it becomes difficult to suck the first card 101a and take it out downward, and even if it can be taken out, there is a high possibility that the first card 101a will be damaged. As a condition for preventing the card 101 from falling out unintentionally from the card stacker 21 and for facilitating the sucking and taking out the card 101 downward, the predetermined width is preferably 0.1 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less.

[0029] The claw portion 24 may be fixed integrally to the card stacker 21, or may be formed as a separate body from the card stacker 21. The card supply unit 2 is a portion that includes both the card stacker 21 and the claw portion 24. The card supply unit 2 including the card stacker 21 can be detachably fixed to the card transport unit 4 described below. At this time, the card supply unit 2 is fixed in a state in which the stacking direction of the card stack 100 is inclined at a first angle, which is an acute angle, from the vertical direction relative to the card transport unit 4.

[0030] Explaining based on Fig. 3, a straight line m5, which is the stacking direction of the card stack 101 in the card stacker 21 of the card supply unit 2, is inclined at an acute angle θ1 with respect to a vertical straight line m10 along the Z axis. The range of the angle θ1 is arbitrary except for the fact that it is an acute angle, but considering the operability of the operation of replenishing the card stack 100 and the reliability of removing the first card 101a described below, an angle of 20° or more and 35° or less is preferable, and an angle of 25° or more and 32° or less is even more preferable.

[0031] If the distance is within the former range, either of the following becomes possible. That is, the workability when stacking and storing the card stack 100 in the card stacker 21 can be improved. Alternatively, as the card supply unit 2 tilts, the load value that the first card 101a receives downward from the second card 101b above it decreases. This prevents double picking and improves the reliability of the first card 101a being taken out. If the distance is within the latter range, the above-mentioned improvement in workability and the above-mentioned improvement in the reliability of the first card 101a being taken out can both be achieved. The improvement in the reliability of the first card 101a being taken out will be described in detail later.

[0032] [ii] Card removal section The card removal section 3 is a section that sucks the first card 101a at the bottom of the card stack 100 stored in the card supply section 2, bends it downward, and removes the first card 101a from the card supply section 2 downward along the stacking direction of the card stack 100 by climbing over the claw section 24. The suction head 31 of the card removal section 3 is a section that has a suction cup at its tip, has an air tube connected to its center, and sucks the first card 101a by air suction. The suction head 31 has a suction cup moving mechanism for moving the first card 101a sucked by the suction cup downward along the stacking direction of the card stack 100, and is configured to have a suction cup at the tip of an air cylinder rod, for example. The suction head is also called a suction section.

[0033] 3, the suction head 31 is initially retracted to position L3 indicated by a solid line. Next, in order to remove the first card 101a at the bottom of the card stack 100 stored in the card supply unit 2, the suction head 31 raises the rod and suction cup to position L1 along a straight line m5 which is the stacking direction of the card stack 100. The suction cup position of the suction head 31 can be displaced alternately from position L3, where the suction head 31 retracts below the transport path 41, to position L1 by penetrating through a hole 43a provided in the transport path 41.

[0034] Here, the suction of the suction cup is turned on to suction the first card 101a. The suction can be turned on and off by opening and closing the flow path of an air tube evacuated by a vacuum pump or the like, using an electromagnetic valve. The center position of the suction cup of the suction head 31 passes through the center position of the first card 101a in the longitudinal direction when the card stack 100 is viewed from the side. This is because the suction cup of the suction head 31 suctions the vicinity of the center of the first card 101a, thereby making it possible to effectively remove the first card 101a.

[0035] Next, the suction head 31 lowers the rod and suction cup along the straight line m5 while still holding the first card 101a. At this time, as shown in, for example, position L2 in Fig. 3, because the edges of two opposing sides of the first card 101a are supported by a pair of claws 24, the center portion of the first card 101a curves downward, and as the suction cup further descends, the first card 101a moves downward, climbing over the claws 24. As a result, the first card 101a is separated from the card stack 100 and taken out downward.

[0036] The card removal section 3 also includes a side air blow section 32 that blows compressed air from the side of the card stack 100 between the first card 101a and the adjacent second card 101b above it. In FIG. 3, the side air blow section 32 is attached to the side guide 42, which is the side wall of the transport path 41 of the card transport section 4, through a hole 43b, but the side air blow section 32 may be attached anywhere. In this embodiment, the side air blow section 32 is provided at two locations along the transport direction of the card 101, but the side air blow section 32 may be provided at one location, or at three or more locations. When the side air blow section 32 is provided at multiple locations, air can be more effectively sent between the first card 101a and the second card 101b than when there is only one location.

[0037] The opening shape of the air outlet at the tip of the side air blowing section 32 may be a round hole or a horizontally long slit-shaped hole. In the latter case, air can be effectively sent between the first card 101a and the second card 101b by aligning the extension direction of the first card 101a with that of the slit. In addition, it is preferable to provide the side air blowing section 32 only on one side as in this embodiment, rather than providing it on both opposing sides of the card stack 100. This makes it possible to stably ensure an air flow path between the first card 101a and the second card 101b, and to suppress unstable air flows such as turbulence and vortexes.

[0038] The side air blowing section 32 is provided to ensure that the second card 101b is separated from the first card 101a when the suction head 31 described above moves downward while suctioning the first card 101a, and separates the first card 101a from the card stack 100 and takes it out downward. The suction head 31 lowers the rod and the suction cup while suctioning the first card 101a, so that the center part of the first card 101a curves downward, and when the suction cup further descends, the first card 101a moves downward over the claw section 24. However, when the first card 101a and the second card 101b are attracted to each other by static electricity or physically, depending on the degree of attraction, the first card 101a may not be separated from the second card 101b and may be separated from the card stack 100 together.

[0039] Therefore, the side air blowing section 32 forcibly supplies air between the first card 101a and the second card 101b when the suction head 31 lowers the rod and the suction cup while adsorbing the first card 101a. This makes it easy to physically pull the cards apart against the suction force. That is, even if the suction force of the first card 101a and the second card 101b is due to static electricity or due to physical factors such as a vacuum state at the interface between the cards due to moisture, the suction force is reduced by supplying air between the cards. The side air blowing section 32 is sometimes referred to as the first air blowing section.

[0040] When viewed from the -Y direction, which is the normal direction of the side of the card stack 100, the centers of the two side air blowing units 32 of this embodiment are within a distance range from a straight line m5 passing through the center of the first card 101a before suction along the stacking direction of the card stack to 1 / 4 of the length of the first card 101a. That is, in FIG. 3, the center positions of the two side air blowing units 32 are within a distance range from a straight line m5 passing through the center position of the first card 101a to 1 / 4 of the length of the first card 101a. The length of the first card 101a is defined as CL1, a straight line parallel to the straight line m5 passing through the center of the side air blowing unit 32 on the -X direction side is defined as a straight line m4, and a straight line parallel to the straight line m5 passing through the center of the side air blowing unit 32 on the +X direction side is defined as a straight line m6. In this case, the distance between the straight lines m5 and m4 is CL1 / 4 or less, and the distance between the straight lines m5 and m6 is also CL1 / 4 or less. By having the central positions of the two side air blowing parts 32 in this range, air can be effectively sent between the first card 101a curved by suction with the suction head 31 and the second card 101b above it near the suction head 31 where the gap between the two cards is largest. This makes it easy and reliable to separate the two cards.

[0041] Here, the point that the card supply unit 2 is fixed in a state where the stacking direction of the card stack 100 is inclined at a first angle, which is an acute angle, from the vertical direction will be described. The load of the card stack 100 stacked above the bottom first card 101a is defined as CM. If the card supply unit 2 is arranged so that the stacking direction of the card stack 100 is along the vertical direction, the load that the first card 101a receives from above is CM itself. On the other hand, if the card supply unit 2 is fixed in a state where the stacking direction of the card stack 100 is inclined at an angle θ1 from the vertical direction, the load that the first card 101a receives from above is CM×cosθ1, which is smaller than CM.

[0042] That is, the load value that the first card 101a receives downward via the second card 101b can be reduced by the amount that the card supply unit 2 is inclined. This further improves the effect of separating the first card 101a and the second card 101b by the suction head 31 moving the first card 101a downward while bending it, or by the side air blow unit 32 blowing air between the first card 101a and the second card 101b.

[0043] [iii] Card transport section The card transport unit 4 includes a stacker holder 46 that fixes the card supply unit 2 in a state in which the stacking direction of the card stack 100 is inclined at a first angle, which is an acute angle from the vertical direction. The stacker holder is also simply referred to as a holder. It is preferable that the card supply unit 2 can be fixed in an inclined state so as to be detachable from the card transport unit 4 or other parts by fitting or other methods. The stacker holder 46 is an example of a part that fixes the card supply unit 2 in an inclined state, but it may be a part fixed by other methods. The stacker holder 46 is composed of two pillars that straddle the transport path 41 and a beam that connects both pillars, supports the card stacker 21 from the side with the beams, and fixes it in an inclined state.

[0044] The card transport section 4 is provided with a transport path 41 inclined at a second acute angle from the horizontal direction so that the first card 101a taken out from the card supply section 2 slides down by its own weight. Referring to FIG. 3, a straight line m3, which is the transport direction of the card 101 on the transport path 41, is inclined at an acute angle θ2 with respect to a horizontal straight line m7 along the X-axis. The range of the angle θ2 is arbitrary except for the acute angle, but considering the ease of slipping of the card 101, etc., it is preferable that the angle is 20° or more and 35° or less, and more preferably 25° or more and 32° or less. In the former range, it is possible to adjust either the ease of slipping of the card 101 or the transport stability, such as suppressing the misalignment of the card 101 or the dropout from the transport path 41. In the latter range, it is possible to achieve both the ease of slipping of the card 101 and the transport stability of the card 101.

[0045] In this embodiment, the first angle and the second angle are the same. That is, the first angle at which the stacking direction of the card stack 100 is inclined from the vertical direction and the second angle at which the transport path 41 is inclined from the horizontal direction are the same. At this time, the stacking direction of the card stack 100 and the transport direction of the cards 101 on the transport path 41 are perpendicular to each other. By setting such a relationship, the first card 101a can slide down the transport path 41 at the same angle without changing the inclination state of the first card 101a when the suction head 31 transports the first card 101a downward. As a result, the device configuration is simple, and the angle of the card does not change during transport, so that it is expected that the cards can be transported under stable conditions.

[0046] The card transport unit 4 also includes a bottom air blow unit 44 that blows air from below the transport path 41 through holes 43c formed in the transport path. The air blown may be compressed air or may be air that does not have any particular pressure, such as a fan. In FIG. 3, the bottom air blow unit 44 is attached to the bottom side of the transport path 41. By blowing compressed air from the bottom surface of the card 101 descending along the transport path 41 by the bottom air blow unit 44, air is blown from below the card 101 being transported along the transport path 41, reducing the sliding resistance of the card 101. As a result, the card 101 can be reliably moved along the transport path 41 without using power such as a motor.

[0047] In this embodiment, the bottom surface air blowing section 44 is provided at two locations along the transport direction of the card 101, but the bottom surface air blowing section 44 may be provided at one location, or at three or more locations. When there are multiple bottom surface air blowing sections 44, the sliding properties of the card 101 are improved compared to when there is only one bottom surface air blowing section 44, and the card 101 can be transported effectively even if the second angle is small.

[0048] The opening shape of the air outlet at the tip of the bottom air blowing unit 44 may be a round hole or a horizontally long slit-shaped hole, similar to the side air blowing unit 32. In the latter case, by aligning the conveying direction of the card 101 with the extending direction of the slit, it is possible to continuously improve the slipperiness of the card 101 during conveyance, regardless of the position of the card 101. The bottom air blowing unit 44 is sometimes referred to as a second air blowing unit.

[0049] In the two bottom surface air blowing units 44 of this embodiment, when viewed along the transport direction of the card 101 taken out by the card take-out unit 3, the pitch of the two bottom surface air blowing units 44 falls within a range of 1 / 2 the length along the transport direction of the card 101. That is, in Fig. 3, the arrangement of the two bottom surface air blowing units 44 is viewed along a straight line m3 which is the transport direction of the card 101 on the transport path 41. In this case, the center-to-center distance of the two bottom surface air blowing units 44 along the straight line m3 falls within a range of 1 / 4 or more and 3 / 4 or less of the length along the transport direction of the card 101 (usually the long side length).

[0050] The length of the card 101 is defined as CL2, the straight line perpendicular to the Y axis and straight line m3 passing through the center of the bottom surface air blowing unit 44 on the -X direction side is defined as line m8, and the straight line perpendicular to the Y axis and straight line m3 passing through the center of the bottom surface air blowing unit 44 on the +X direction side is defined as line m9. In this case, the distance between lines m8 and m9 is CL2 / 4 or more and 3×CL2 / 4 or less. By having the center positions of the two bottom surface air blowing units 44 within this range, air is blown relatively evenly from below onto the card 101 being transported along the transport path 41, so that fluctuations in the sliding resistance of the card 101 are effectively suppressed and a slippery state can be maintained.

[0051] [iv] Card stacking section The card stacking unit 5 is a portion for sequentially stacking cards 101 such as the first card 101a that have slid down the inclined transport path 41 of the card transport unit 4 under their own weight, but this portion is not an essential component of the card transport device 1 of the present disclosure. Usually, the card transport device 1 is provided to sequentially transport the cards 101 to a device for performing some processing or issuance processing on the cards 101. Processing on the cards 101 includes forming a recess by cutting the card 101, embedding an IC module in the card 101 with the recess formed, and the like. It also includes thermal transfer or sublimation transfer of a predetermined character or pattern from an ink ribbon to the card 101 using a thermal head. It also includes engraving the surface of the card 101 using a laser marker, writing characters or patterns by coloring a laser coloring agent, and the like.

[0052] In this embodiment, the card stacking unit 5 is configured as a placement table 51 on which the cards 101 are placed on a horizontal surface with no incline as an extension of the transport path 41. However, when performing post-processing as described above, the placement table 51 of the stacking unit 5 may be replaced with a belt conveyor that moves the cards 101 sequentially along the horizontal direction. Alternatively, a known configuration such as a transport mechanism that adsorbs the cards 101 placed on the placement table 51 with a suction head or the like and moves them to another location may be provided.

[0053] [b] Card conveying method using a card conveying device Next, a card conveying method using the card conveying device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to each of Figures 1 to 3 and the flow diagram of Figure 4. The method described below is a card conveying method in which cards 101 are picked up one by one from a card bundle 100 in which multiple cards 101 are stacked, and conveyed.

[0054] First, a process is performed in which the card stack 100 is stored in the card supply unit 2, which has a pair of claws 24 that support from below the edges of two opposing sides of the first card 101a located at the bottom end of the card stack 100 and is capable of storing the card stack 100 (step S201 in FIG. 4). In this embodiment, the pair of claws 24 are integrally fixed below the card stacker 21 of the card supply unit 2, and the entire card stacker 21 including the claws 24 is detachable from the card transport unit 4.

[0055] Next, a step of fixing the card supply unit 2 in a state in which the stacking direction of the card stack 100 is tilted at a first acute angle from the vertical direction is performed (step S202). As described above, the tilted card supply unit 2 improves the workability when stacking and storing the card stack 100 in the card stacker 21, and enables reliable removal of the first card 101a by preventing double removal due to the tilt of the card supply unit 2.

[0056] Next, a step of blowing compressed air from the side of the card stack 100 between the first card 101a and the adjacent second card 101b above it is performed (step S203). The compressed air is blown from the side air blow unit 32, which is the card removal unit 3. Also, while blowing the compressed air, a step of sucking the first card 101a with the suction cup of the suction head 31 and bending it downward is performed. Furthermore, a step of removing the first card 101a from the card supply unit 2 downward along the stacking direction of the card stack 100 by moving the suction head 31 downward in the sucked state is performed (step S204).

[0057] At this time, since the load value that the first card 101a receives downward from the second card 101b can be reduced by the amount that the card supply unit 2 is inclined, the suction head 31 can easily and reliably transfer the first card 101a downward while bending it. Also, the separation effect of the first card 101a and the second card 101b by the side air blow unit 32 blowing air between them is further improved.

[0058] Next, in the transport path 41 of the card transport unit 4 inclined by a second angle, which is an acute angle from the horizontal direction, a step of blowing air from the bottom air blow unit 44 through the hole 43c formed in the transport path 41 from below the transport path 41 is performed (step S205). Furthermore, while blowing air, a step of sliding the first card 101a taken out from the card supply unit 2 down the transport path 41 by its own weight is performed (step S206). By blowing air from the bottom surface of the card 101 descending the transport path 41 by the bottom air blow unit 44, air is blown from below the card 101 being transported along the transport path 41. This reduces the sliding resistance of the card 101. As a result, the card 101 can be reliably moved along the transport path 41 without using power such as a motor.

[0059] Next, if the next card 101 is to be removed from the card supply unit 2 (step S207), the process returns to step S203, and the process of blowing compressed air from the side of the card stack 100 into the gap between the first card 101a and the adjacent second card 101b above it is performed in sequence. On the other hand, if the next card 101 is not to be removed from the card supply unit 2, the process ends. At this time, the card supply unit 2 may be removed from the card transport unit 4. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1 Card transport device 2 Card supply section 3 Card removal section 4 Card transport section 5 Card stacking section 21 Card Stacker 22 Guide piece 23 Opening 24 Claw part 31 Suction head 32 Side air blower 41 Transport Path 42 Side guide 43, 43a, 43b, 43c holes 44 Bottom air blower 45 Slope 46 Stacker holder 51 Placement table 100 Card Bundle 101 Cards 101a 1st Card 101b 2nd Card

Claims

1. A card transport device that takes out and transports cards one by one from a stack of cards, a card supply unit having a pair of claws for supporting from below two opposing edge portions of a first card disposed at the bottom end of the stack of cards, the card supply unit being capable of storing the stack of cards; a card removal unit having a suction unit that suctions and bends the first card downward and removes the first card from the card supply unit in a downward direction along the stacking direction of the card stack by passing over the claw unit, and a first air blow unit that blows compressed air from a side surface of the card stack between the first card and an adjacent second card above the first card; a card transport unit having a holding unit that fixes the card supply unit in a state in which the stacking direction of the card stack is inclined at a first angle, which is an acute angle, from the vertical direction; a transport path that is inclined at a second angle, which is an acute angle, from the horizontal direction so that the first card removed from the card supply unit slides down by its own weight; and a second air blow unit that blows air from below the transport path through a hole formed in the transport path.

2. 2. The card transport device according to claim 1, wherein the first angle and the second angle are the same angle.

3. The card transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the first angle is greater than or equal to 20° and less than or equal to 35°.

4. the first air blowing section is provided at two locations on the side surface of the stack of cards, 2. The card transport device according to claim 1, wherein when viewed from the normal direction of the side surface, the centers of the two first air blowing sections are within a distance range from a straight line along the stacking direction of the card stack that passes through the center of the first card before the suction to 1 / 4 of the length of the first card.

5. The second air blowing unit is provided at two locations along the conveying path, 2. The card transport device of claim 1, wherein when viewed along the transport direction of the removed first card, the pitch of each of the two second air blowing sections is within a range of a distance of more than 1 / 4 and less than 3 / 4 of the length of the first card along the transport direction.

6. A card conveying method for picking out and conveying cards one by one from a stack of cards, comprising the steps of: storing the stack of cards in a card supply unit that has a pair of claws that support from below two opposing edge portions of a first card that is located at the bottom end of the stack of cards and is capable of storing the stack of cards; fixing the card supply unit in a state in which a stacking direction of the stack of cards is inclined at a first angle, which is an acute angle, from a vertical direction; a step of blowing compressed air from a side surface of the stack of cards into between the first card and an adjacent second card above the first card, sucking and bending the first card downward, and removing the first card from the card supply unit downward along the stacking direction of the stack of cards by passing over the claw portion; a step of causing the first card taken out of the card supply unit to slide down a transport path inclined at a second angle, which is an acute angle from the horizontal direction, by its own weight while blowing air from below the transport path through a hole formed in the transport path.

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