Magnetic head and card reader

Abstract

To provide a magnetic head and a card reader capable of reducing spacing loss caused by core wear.SOLUTION: A magnetic head 8 includes a core 14 on which a magnetic gap 8b is formed, and a first wear suppression unit 18 and a second wear suppression unit 19 for suppressing wear of the core 14. In the magnetic head 8, the magnetic gap 8b is arranged between the first wear suppression unit 18 and the second wear suppression unit 19. Further, in the magnetic head 8, the degree of hardness of the first wear suppression unit 18 is higher than the degree of hardness of the core 14, and the degree of hardness of the second wear suppression unit 19 is higher than the degree of hardness of the first wear suppression unit 18.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a magnetic head and a card reader. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, card readers equipped with a magnetic head that reads magnetic data recorded on a card and records magnetic data on a card are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the card reader described in Patent Document 1, the magnetic head includes a core in which a magnetic gap is formed, a coil wound around the core, and a head case that houses the core and coil. A ceramic head wear suppressing portion is formed near the magnetic gap of the magnetic head to suppress wear of the magnetic head. Specifically, two head wear suppressing portions are formed on the magnetic head, sandwiching the magnetic gap in the front-to-rear direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-57045 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present inventors are developing a magnetic head in which wear-suppressing portions are arranged on both sides of the magnetic gap to suppress wear on the magnetic head core, similar to the magnetic head described in Patent Document 1. In the magnetic head under development, a high hardness of the wear-suppressing portions is preferable to suppress wear on the core. On the other hand, if the hardness of the two wear-suppressing portions arranged on either side of the magnetic gap is too high, the difference between the amount of wear on the wear-suppressing portions and the amount of wear on the core increases over time of use of the magnetic head. If the difference between the amount of wear on the wear-suppressing portions and the amount of wear on the core increases, for example, when reading magnetic data recorded on a card with the magnetic head, the gap between the magnetic stripe on the card and the magnetic gap increases (i.e., spacing loss increases), which may make it difficult to read the magnetic data.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic head having a core with a magnetic gap formed therein, which is capable of suppressing core wear and reducing spacing loss caused by core wear, and also to provide a card reader having such a magnetic head. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, one embodiment of the magnetic head of the present invention comprises a core in which a magnetic gap is formed, and a first wear reduction portion and a second wear reduction portion for reducing wear of the core, the magnetic gap being arranged between the first wear reduction portion and the second wear reduction portion, the hardness of the first wear reduction portion being higher than the hardness of the core, and the hardness of the second wear reduction portion being higher than the hardness of the first wear reduction portion.

[0007] The magnetic head of this aspect includes a first wear-reducing portion and a second wear-reducing portion for reducing wear on the core, and the magnetic gap is disposed between the first wear-reducing portion and the second wear-reducing portion. Furthermore, in this aspect, the hardness of the first wear-reducing portion is greater than the hardness of the core, and the hardness of the second wear-reducing portion is greater than the hardness of the first wear-reducing portion. Therefore, in this aspect, it is possible to reduce wear on the core disposed between the first wear-reducing portion and the second wear-reducing portion.

[0008] Furthermore, in this embodiment, because the hardness of the first wear-reducing portion is lower than the hardness of the second wear-reducing portion, even if the difference between the wear amount of the second wear-reducing portion and the wear amount of the core increases over time while the magnetic head is in use, it is possible to reduce the difference between the wear amount of the first wear-reducing portion and the wear amount of the core. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce spacing loss due to core wear. In this way, it is possible to reduce core wear while also reducing spacing loss due to core wear. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] As described above, in one aspect of the present invention, in a magnetic head having a core in which a magnetic gap is formed, it is possible to suppress core wear while reducing spacing loss caused by core wear. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a card reader according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the configuration of the magnetic head and the biasing mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the magnetic head and the head fixing member shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side view for explaining the internal configuration of the magnetic head shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] (Overall configuration of the card reader) Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a card reader 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side view for explaining the configuration of a magnetic head 8 and a biasing mechanism 9 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] The card reader 2 of this embodiment is a device that reads magnetic data recorded on a card 3 and records magnetic data on the card 3. Specifically, the card reader 2 is a so-called dip-type card reader in which the card 3 is manually inserted into and removed from the card reader 2 to read and record magnetic data. In other words, the card reader 2 is a manual card reader. The card reader 2 is used, for example, outdoors where a relatively large amount of dust is floating around. The dust contains, for example, silica sand, which is primarily composed of silicon dioxide, and the Vickers hardness of silica sand is about 1000 Hv.

[0014] Card 3 is, for example, a rectangular vinyl chloride card with a thickness of about 0.7 to 0.8 mm. A magnetic stripe on which magnetic data is recorded is formed on card 3. An IC chip may be built into card 3. In this case, an external connection terminal for the IC chip is formed on card 3. Alternatively, a communication antenna is built into card 3. Card 3 may also be a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) card with a thickness of about 0.18 to 0.36 mm, a paper card of a predetermined thickness, or the like.

[0015] The card reader 2 is formed with a card insertion slot 4 into which a card 3 is inserted. The card reader 2 also has a card movement path 5 along which the card 3 inserted through the card insertion slot 4 moves. The card reader 2 includes a main body frame 6 in which the card movement path 5 is formed, and a front cover (front bezel) 7 in which the card insertion slot 4 is formed. The card reader 2 also includes a magnetic head 8 that performs at least one of reading magnetic data recorded on the card 3 and recording magnetic data to the card 3, and a biasing mechanism 9 that biases the magnetic head 8.

[0016] In this embodiment, the manually operated card 3 moves in the X direction shown in Fig. 1 etc. In other words, the X direction is the movement direction of the card 3 moving along the card movement path 5. The card 3 is inserted into the card insertion slot 4 toward the X1 direction, which is one side of the X direction, and is removed from the card insertion slot 4 toward the X2 direction, which is the other side of the X direction. The Z direction in Fig. 1 etc., which is perpendicular to the X direction, is the thickness direction of the card 3 moving along the card movement path 5, and the Y direction in Fig. 1 etc., which is perpendicular to the X direction and the Z direction, is the width direction (short width direction) of the card 3 moving along the card movement path 5.

[0017] In the following description, the X direction, which is the movement direction of the card 3, is defined as the front-rear direction. The Y direction is defined as the left-right direction, and the Z direction is defined as the up-down direction. The X1 direction, which is the insertion direction of the card 3 into the card reader 2, is defined as the "rear" side, and the X2 direction, which is the removal direction of the card 3 from the card reader 2, is defined as the "front" side. The Z1 direction, which is one side of the up-down direction, is defined as the "up" side, and the Z2 direction, which is the other side of the up-down direction, is defined as the "down" side. In this embodiment, the rear side (X1 direction side) is the first direction side, which is one side of the movement direction of the card 3, and the front side (X2 direction side) is the second direction side, which is opposite to the first direction side. In this embodiment, the bottom side (Z2 direction side) is one side of the thickness direction of the card 3, and the top side (Z1 direction side) is the other side of the thickness direction of the card 3.

[0018] The main body frame 6 is equipped with a card storage section 6b that stores the rear portion of the card 3 inserted into the card reader 2, a head placement section in which the magnetic head 8 is disposed, and a card guide section for guiding the card 3. The head placement section and card guide section protrude forward from the front end of the card storage section 6b. The head placement section and card guide section are disposed with a gap between them in the left-right direction. The card movement path 5 is formed in the card storage section 6b, the head placement section, and the card guide section. The top side of the card storage section 6b is covered by a cover 10.

[0019] The front cover 7 forms the front portion of the card reader 2. The front cover 7 is disposed on the front side of the main body frame 6 and covers the front end portion of the main body frame 6. The front cover 7 includes a first cover portion 7b that covers the head placement portion of the main body frame 6 and a second cover portion 7c that covers the card guide portion of the main body frame 6. Between the first cover portion 7b and the second cover portion 7c in the left-right direction is a notch portion 7d that ensures a gripping margin (pinch margin) for the card 3 when inserting the card 3 into the card insertion slot 4 and when removing the card 3 from the card insertion slot 4. The rear surfaces of the first cover portion 7b and the second cover portion 7c are open, and the head placement portion and card guide portion of the main body frame 6 are inserted into the first cover portion 7b and the second cover portion 7c from the rear side.

[0020] The magnetic head 8 is attached to a head mounting portion of the main body frame 6. The magnetic head 8 is arranged so as to face the card movement path 5 from below. Specifically, the magnetic head 8 is arranged so that the magnetic gap 8b (see FIG. 3) of the magnetic head 8 faces the card movement path 5 from below. In other words, the magnetic head 8 faces the card movement path 5 from below. The specific configurations of the magnetic head 8 and the biasing mechanism 9 will be described below.

[0021] (Configuration of magnetic head and biasing mechanism) Fig. 3 is a plan view of the magnetic head 8 and the flat spring 22 shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side view for explaining the internal configuration of the magnetic head 8 shown in Fig. 2.

[0022] The magnetic head 8 includes a core 14 in which a magnetic gap 8b is formed, a coil 15 wound around the core 14, terminals 16 to which ends of the coil 15 are connected, and a head case 17 that houses the core 14 and the coil 15. The magnetic head 8 of this embodiment is a three-channel magnetic head having three cores 14 adjacent to each other in the left-right direction. The magnetic head 8 also includes wear-suppressing members 18 and 19 for suppressing wear on the cores 14. The wear-suppressing member 18 of this embodiment is a first wear-suppressing part, and the wear-suppressing member 19 is a second wear-suppressing part.

[0023] The core 14 is made of, for example, sendust and has a Vickers hardness of about 550 Hv. The head case 17 is made of, for example, permalloy and has a Vickers hardness of about 150 Hv. As described above, the magnetic head 8 is disposed so that the magnetic gap 8b faces the card moving path 5 from below, and the magnetic gap 8b is formed at the upper end of the magnetic head 8. That is, the magnetic gap 8b is formed at the upper end of the core 14. The depth direction of the magnetic gap 8b coincides with the up-down direction. When viewed from the up-down direction, the shape of the magnetic gap 8b is a straight line parallel to the left-right direction. An opening 17b is formed in the upper surface of the head case 17 to expose the upper end of the core 14 housed in the head case 17.

[0024] The up-down direction (Z direction) in this embodiment is the gap depth direction, which is the depth direction of the magnetic gap 8b, and the thickness direction of the card 3 moving through the card movement path 5 coincides with the gap depth direction. The left-right direction (Y direction) in this embodiment is the first orthogonal direction, which is a predetermined direction perpendicular to the gap depth direction. The front-rear direction (X direction) in this embodiment is the second orthogonal direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the gap depth direction and the first orthogonal direction, and the movement direction of the card 3 coincides with the second orthogonal direction.

[0025] The wear prevention members 18, 19 are guard members that are wear-resistant. The wear prevention members 18, 19 are formed in a straight line parallel to the left-right direction. The length (left-right length) of the wear prevention member 18 is equal to the length (left-right length) of the wear prevention member 19. The front-rear width of the wear prevention member 18 is equal to the width of the wear prevention member 19. The front-rear width of the wear prevention members 18, 19 is wider than the front-rear width of the magnetic gap 8b. The front-rear width of the wear prevention members 18, 19 is, for example, approximately 1.2 mm.

[0026] The wear-reducing members 18 and 19 are fixed to the upper surface of the head case 17. Openings are formed in the upper surface of the head case 17, and the wear-reducing members 18 and 19 are disposed therein. The wear-reducing members 18 and 19 are disposed on either side of the magnetic gap 8b in the front-rear direction. That is, the magnetic gap 8b is disposed between the wear-reducing members 18 and 19 in the front-rear direction.

[0027] In this embodiment, the wear prevention member 18 is disposed in front of the magnetic gap 8b, and the wear prevention member 19 is disposed behind the magnetic gap 8b. The wear prevention members 18 and 19 are disposed at the same position in the left-right direction. The left ends of the wear prevention members 18 and 19 are disposed to the left of the left end of the leftmost core 14. The right ends of the wear prevention members 18 and 19 are disposed to the right of the right end of the rightmost core 14.

[0028] The wear-inhibiting member 18 and the wear-inhibiting member 19 are formed of different materials. The hardness of the wear-inhibiting members 18 and 19 is higher than the hardness of the core 14. The hardness of the wear-inhibiting member 19 is also higher than the hardness of the wear-inhibiting member 18. In this embodiment, the Vickers hardness of the wear-inhibiting member 18 is less than 1000 Hv, and the Vickers hardness of the wear-inhibiting member 19 is 1000 Hv or higher.

[0029] Specifically, the wear-inhibiting member 18 in this embodiment is made of calcium titanate, and has a Vickers hardness of about 800 Hv. The wear-inhibiting member 19 in this embodiment is made of zirconia, and has a Vickers hardness of about 1200 to 1600 Hv. That is, the Vickers hardness of the wear-inhibiting member 18 is lower than that of silica sand contained in the dust floating around the card reader 2. The Vickers hardness of the wear-inhibiting member 19 is higher than that of silica sand.

[0030] The biasing mechanism 9 includes a leaf spring 22 as a head fixing member to which the magnetic head 8 is fixed, two support pins 23 and 24 that support the leaf spring 22, and a compression coil spring 25 as a biasing member that biases the leaf spring 22. The leaf spring 22 is formed by bending a thin steel plate, such as a stainless steel plate, into a predetermined shape. The leaf spring 22 is composed of a head fixing portion 22b to which the magnetic head 8 is fixed, a supported portion 22c supported by the support pin 23, and a supported portion 22d supported by the support pin 24 and biased by the compression coil spring 25.

[0031] The lower portion of the magnetic head 8 is fixed to the head fixing portion 22b. The magnetic head 8 is fixed to the head fixing portion 22b with adhesive 26. The supported portion 22c is arranged behind the head fixing portion 22b. The supported portion 22d is arranged in front of the head fixing portion 22b. The supported portions 22c and 22d are formed in a flat plate shape and are arranged so that the thickness direction of the supported portions 22c and 22d is approximately aligned with the up-down direction. The length of the supported portion 22c in the front-to-rear direction is longer than the length of the supported portion 22d in the front-to-rear direction.

[0032] A through hole 22e is formed at the rear end of the supported portion 22c, through which a shaft portion 23b (described later) constituting a part of the support pin 23 is inserted. A through hole 22f is formed in the supported portion 22d, through which a shaft portion 24b (described later) constituting a part of the support pin 24 is inserted. The through hole 22e is a round hole that passes through the supported portion 22c in the up-down direction. The through hole 22f is an elongated hole that passes through the supported portion 22d in the up-down direction. The through hole 22f is also an elongated hole whose longitudinal direction is the front-rear direction. The through holes 22e and 22f are located at the same position in the left-right direction. The through holes 22e and 22f are formed at the center of the leaf spring 22 in the left-right direction.

[0033] The two support pins 23, 24 support the leaf spring 22 from below. The support pins 23, 24 are fixed to a pin fixing plate 27. The pin fixing plate 27 is fixed to the head mounting portion of the main body frame 6. The support pin 23 is arranged behind the magnetic head 8. The support pin 24 is arranged in front of the magnetic head 8. The support pin 23 is composed of a shaft portion 23b inserted into the through hole 22e and a support portion 23c that supports the supported portion 22c from below. The support pin 24 is composed of a shaft portion 24b inserted into the through hole 22f and a support portion that supports the supported portion 22d from below. The support pins 23, 24 support the magnetic head 8 via the leaf spring 22.

[0034] The support pin 24 is inserted into the compression coil spring 25. That is, the compression coil spring 25 is disposed forward of the support pin 23 and the magnetic head 8. The lower end of the compression coil spring 25 contacts the upper surface of the pin fixing plate 27. The upper end of the compression coil spring 25 contacts the lower surface of the supported portion 22d. The compression coil spring 25 urges the leaf spring 22 upward with the support pin 23 as a fulcrum. The compression coil spring 25 also urges the magnetic head 8 upward by urging the leaf spring 22. The support pin 23 in this embodiment is a support portion that supports the leaf spring 22, and the compression coil spring 25 urges the leaf spring 22 with the support pin 23 as a fulcrum.

[0035] As described above, the compression coil spring 25 urges the leaf spring 22 and the magnetic head 8 upward, using the support pin 23 located behind the magnetic head 8 as a fulcrum. Therefore, in this embodiment, the contact pressure between the magnetic head 8 and the card 3 behind the magnetic gap 8b is higher than the contact pressure between the magnetic head 8 and the card 3 in front of the magnetic gap 8b. In other words, the contact pressure between the magnetic head 8 and the card 3 when they come into contact behind the magnetic gap 8b is higher than the contact pressure between the magnetic head 8 and the card 3 when they come into contact in front of the magnetic gap 8b.

[0036] (Main effect of this form) As described above, in this embodiment, the magnetic head 8 is provided with wear-inhibiting members 18 and 19 for suppressing wear of the core 14, and the magnetic gap 8b of the magnetic head 8 is disposed between the wear-inhibiting members 18 and 19. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the hardness of the wear-inhibiting members 18 and 19 is greater than the hardness of the core 14. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to suppress wear of the core 14 disposed between the wear-inhibiting members 18 and 19.

[0037] In particular, in this embodiment, wear-suppressing member 19, which has a higher hardness than wear-suppressing member 18, is arranged behind magnetic gap 8b, where the contact pressure between magnetic head 8 and card 3 is high, and therefore wear of core 14 can be effectively suppressed compared to when wear-suppressing member 18 is arranged behind magnetic gap 8b. Also, in this embodiment, the Vickers hardness of wear-suppressing member 19 is higher than the Vickers hardness of silica sand contained in the dust floating around card reader 2, and therefore wear of core 14 can be effectively suppressed.

[0038] In this embodiment, the hardness of the wear-reducing member 18 is lower than the hardness of the wear-reducing member 19. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the difference between the amount of wear of the wear-reducing member 19 and the amount of wear of the core 14 increases depending on the length of use of the card reader 2, it is possible to reduce the difference between the amount of wear of the wear-reducing member 18 and the amount of wear of the core 14. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce spacing loss caused by wear of the core 14.

[0039] In particular, in this embodiment, the Vickers hardness of the wear-reducing member 18 is lower than the Vickers hardness of the silica sand contained in the dust floating around the card reader 2, so even if the difference between the amount of wear of the wear-reducing member 19 and the amount of wear of the core 14 increases depending on the length of use of the card reader 2, it is possible to effectively reduce the difference between the amount of wear of the wear-reducing member 18 and the amount of wear of the core 14. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to effectively reduce spacing loss caused by wear of the core 14.

[0040] In this embodiment, the wear-reducing members 18 and 19 are arranged to sandwich the magnetic gap 8b in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the left ends of the wear-reducing members 18 and 19 are arranged to the left of the left end of the leftmost core 14, and the right ends of the wear-reducing members 18 and 19 are arranged to the right of the right end of the rightmost core 14. Therefore, in this embodiment, wear on the core 14 disposed between the wear-reducing members 18 and 19 can be reduced across the entire left-right range, and the difference between the amount of wear on the wear-reducing member 18 and the amount of wear on the core 14 can be reduced across the entire left-right range. Therefore, in this embodiment, wear on the core 14 can be effectively reduced while effectively reducing spacing loss due to wear on the core 14.

[0041] (Other embodiments) The above-described embodiment is one example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

[0042] In the above-described embodiment, the wear-inhibiting member 18 may be made of a material other than calcium titanate. For example, the wear-inhibiting member 18 may be made of barium titanate. In the above-described embodiment, the wear-inhibiting member 19 may be made of a material other than zirconia. For example, the wear-inhibiting member 19 may be made of alumina. In the above-described embodiment, as long as the hardness of the wear-inhibiting member 19 is higher than the hardness of the wear-inhibiting member 18, the Vickers hardness of the wear-inhibiting member 18 may be 1000 Hv or more, or the Vickers hardness of the wear-inhibiting member 19 may be less than 1000 Hv, depending on the usage environment of the card reader 2, etc.

[0043] In the above-described embodiment, the wear reducing member 18 may be arranged rearward of the magnetic gap 8b, and the wear reducing member 19 may be arranged forward of the magnetic gap 8b. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the wear reducing members 18 and 19 may be arranged so as to sandwich the magnetic gap 8b in the left-right direction. That is, the magnetic gap 8b may be arranged between the wear reducing members 18 and 19 in the left-right direction. In this case, for example, the wear reducing members 18 and 19 are arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, for example, the front ends of the wear reducing members 18 and 19 may be arranged forward of the front end of the core 14 exposed at the opening 17b, and the rear ends of the wear reducing members 18 and 19 may be arranged rearward of the rear end of the core 14 exposed at the opening 17b.

[0044] In the above-described embodiment, the magnetic head 8 may be a two-channel or one-channel magnetic head. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the compression coil spring 25 may be disposed behind the magnetic head 8. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the biasing member that biases the leaf spring 22 may be a spring member other than the compression coil spring 25. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the card reader 2 may be a so-called swipe-type card reader, or a card transport-type card reader having a card transport mechanism that automatically transports the card 3. Furthermore, the magnetic head 8 of the present invention may be used in devices other than the card reader 2.

[0045] (Configuration of this technology) The present technology can be configured as follows: (1) A magnetic coil includes a core in which a magnetic gap is formed, and a first wear-reducing portion and a second wear-reducing portion for reducing wear of the core, the magnetic gap is disposed between the first wear-reducing portion and the second wear-reducing portion, the hardness of the first wear-reducing portion is higher than the hardness of the core, The magnetic head is characterized in that the hardness of the second wear-reducing portion is higher than the hardness of the first wear-reducing portion. (2) A predetermined direction perpendicular to the gap depth direction, which is the depth direction of the gap, is defined as a first orthogonal direction, and a direction perpendicular to the gap depth direction and the first orthogonal direction is defined as a second orthogonal direction. The shape of the magnetic gap when viewed from the gap depth direction is a straight line parallel to the first orthogonal direction, The magnetic head according to (1), wherein the magnetic gap is disposed between the first wear-reducing portion and the second wear-reducing portion in the second orthogonal direction. (3) The Vickers hardness of the first wear-reducing portion is less than 1000 Hv, The magnetic head according to (1) or (2), wherein the second wear-reducing portion has a Vickers hardness of 1000 Hv or more. (4) The first wear-reducing portion is formed of calcium titanate, The magnetic head according to (3), wherein the second wear-reducing portion is made of zirconia. (5) A card reader comprising the magnetic head according to any one of (1) to (4). (6) A card reader in which a card movement path is formed and which is equipped with the magnetic head described in (2), a moving direction of the card moving along the card moving path and the second orthogonal direction are the same; If one side of the card movement direction is defined as a first direction side, and the opposite side of the first direction side is defined as a second direction side, a contact pressure between the magnetic head and the card on the first direction side of the magnetic gap is higher than a contact pressure between the magnetic head and the card on the second direction side of the magnetic gap, the second wear reduction portion is disposed on the first direction side of the magnetic gap, The card reader is characterized in that the first wear reduction portion is disposed on the second direction side of the magnetic gap. (7) A head fixing member to which the magnetic head is fixed, a fulcrum portion supporting the head fixing member, and a biasing member biasing the head fixing member with the fulcrum portion as a fulcrum, the thickness direction of the card moving along the card moving path coincides with the depth direction of the gap; the magnetic head faces the card movement path from one side in the thickness direction of the card, the fulcrum portion is disposed closer to the first direction than the magnetic head, The card reader described in (6) is characterized in that the biasing member is positioned on the second direction side of the fulcrum portion and biases the magnetic head to the other side in the thickness direction of the card by biasing the head fixing member.

[0046] In this aspect, if a predetermined direction orthogonal to the gap depth direction, which is the depth direction of the gap, is defined as the first orthogonal direction, and a direction orthogonal to the gap depth direction and the first orthogonal direction is defined as the second orthogonal direction, the shape of the magnetic gap when viewed from the gap depth direction is preferably a straight line parallel to the first orthogonal direction, and the magnetic gap is preferably disposed between the first wear-reducing portion and the second wear-reducing portion in the second orthogonal direction. This configuration makes it possible to suppress wear of the core disposed between the first wear-reducing portion and the second wear-reducing portion over the entire area in the first orthogonal direction, and to suppress the difference between the amount of wear of the first wear-reducing portion and the amount of wear of the core over the entire area in the first orthogonal direction. Therefore, it is possible to effectively suppress core wear while effectively reducing spacing loss due to core wear.

[0047] In this embodiment, for example, the Vickers hardness of the first wear-reducing portion is less than 1000 Hv, and the Vickers hardness of the second wear-reducing portion is 1000 Hv or more. Also, in this embodiment, the first wear-reducing portion is made of calcium titanate, and the second wear-reducing portion is made of zirconia.

[0048] The magnetic head of this aspect can be used in a card reader equipped with this magnetic head, which makes it possible to suppress wear on the core of the magnetic head and reduce spacing loss caused by wear on the core.

[0049] The magnetic head of this aspect can be used in a card reader having a card movement path along which the card moves and the magnetic head. In this card reader, for example, if the movement direction of the card moving along the card movement path coincides with the second orthogonal direction, and one side of the card movement direction is defined as the first direction side and the opposite side of the first direction side is defined as the second direction side, the contact pressure between the magnetic head and the card on the first direction side of the magnetic gap is higher than the contact pressure between the magnetic head and the card on the second direction side of the magnetic gap, and the second wear-reducing part is arranged on the first direction side of the magnetic gap, and the first wear-reducing part is arranged on the second direction side of the magnetic gap.

[0050] This card reader can suppress wear on the magnetic head core while reducing spacing loss due to core wear. Furthermore, this card reader has a second wear-suppressing part that is harder than the first wear-suppressing part, located closer to the first direction than the magnetic gap, where the contact pressure between the magnetic head and the card is higher. This makes it possible to more effectively suppress core wear than when the first wear-suppressing part is located closer to the first direction than the magnetic gap. In this specification, the phrase "the movement direction of the card moving along the card movement path coincides with the second orthogonal direction" includes both cases where the movement direction of the card and the second orthogonal direction completely coincide, and cases where the movement direction of the card and the second orthogonal direction almost coincide, but not completely.

[0051] In this aspect, the card reader includes, for example, a head fixing member to which the magnetic head is fixed, a fulcrum portion that supports the head fixing member, and a biasing member that biases the head fixing member using the fulcrum portion as a fulcrum, wherein the thickness direction of a card moving along the card movement path coincides with the gap depth direction, the magnetic head faces the card movement path from one side in the card thickness direction, the fulcrum portion is located on the first direction side of the magnetic head, and the biasing member is located on the second direction side of the fulcrum portion and biases the head fixing member to bias the magnetic head to the other side in the card thickness direction. Note that in this specification, "the thickness direction of a card moving along the card movement path coincides with the gap depth direction" includes cases where the card thickness direction and the gap depth direction completely coincide, and cases where the card thickness direction and the gap depth direction almost coincide, but not completely. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 2 card readers 3 Cards 5 Card movement path 8. Magnetic Head 8b Magnetic gap 14 cores 18 Wear suppression member (first wear suppression portion) 19 Wear suppression member (second wear suppression portion) 22 Leaf spring (head fixing member) 23 Support pin (fulcrum) 25 Compression coil spring (biasing member) X Second orthogonal direction, card movement direction X1 1st direction side X2 2nd direction side Y First orthogonal direction Z Gap depth direction, card thickness direction Z1 Other side of the card thickness Z2 One side of the card thickness

Claims

1. a core in which a magnetic gap is formed, and a first wear-reducing portion and a second wear-reducing portion for reducing wear of the core; the magnetic gap is disposed between the first wear-reducing portion and the second wear-reducing portion, the hardness of the first wear-reducing portion is higher than the hardness of the core, The magnetic head is characterized in that the hardness of the second wear-reducing portion is higher than the hardness of the first wear-reducing portion.

2. When a predetermined direction orthogonal to a gap depth direction, which is the depth direction of the gap, is defined as a first orthogonal direction, and a direction orthogonal to the gap depth direction and the first orthogonal direction is defined as a second orthogonal direction, The shape of the magnetic gap when viewed from the gap depth direction is a straight line parallel to the first orthogonal direction, 2. The magnetic head according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic gap is disposed between the first wear-reducing portion and the second wear-reducing portion in the second orthogonal direction.

3. The Vickers hardness of the first wear-reducing portion is less than 1000 Hv, 3. The magnetic head according to claim 1, wherein the second wear-reducing portion has a Vickers hardness of 1000 Hv or more.

4. the first wear-reducing portion is formed of calcium titanate, 4. The magnetic head according to claim 3, wherein the second wear-reducing portion is made of zirconia.

5. 3. A card reader comprising the magnetic head according to claim 1.

6. A card reader having a card movement path along which a card moves and the magnetic head according to claim 2, a moving direction of the card moving along the card moving path and the second orthogonal direction are the same; If one side of the card movement direction is defined as a first direction side, and the opposite side of the first direction side is defined as a second direction side, a contact pressure between the magnetic head and the card on the first direction side of the magnetic gap is higher than a contact pressure between the magnetic head and the card on the second direction side of the magnetic gap, the second wear reduction portion is disposed on the first direction side of the magnetic gap, The card reader is characterized in that the first wear reduction portion is disposed on the second direction side of the magnetic gap.

7. a head fixing member to which the magnetic head is fixed, a fulcrum portion that supports the head fixing member, and a biasing member that biases the head fixing member using the fulcrum portion as a fulcrum, the thickness direction of the card moving along the card moving path coincides with the depth direction of the gap; the magnetic head faces the card movement path from one side in the thickness direction of the card, the fulcrum portion is disposed on the first direction side of the magnetic head, The card reader according to claim 6, characterized in that the biasing member is positioned on the second direction side of the fulcrum portion, and biases the magnetic head to the other side in the thickness direction of the card by biasing the head fixing member.

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