Certificate printing device, certificate printing method, and certificate printing program

Abstract

To provide a technique for suppressing deterioration in printing quality of characters, figures, etc., on a ticket surface of a card.SOLUTION: A print erasing section selectively performs printing on a ticket surface of a card and erasing of printing. A type determination unit collates an image of the ticket surface of the card acquired by a ticket surface image acquisition unit with an image of a ticket surface stored in a storage unit, and determines a type of the card. An erasure determination unit collates an image of the ticket surface of the card whose printing acquired by the ticket surface image acquisition unit is erased with an image of the ticket surface of the card of the type determined by the type determination unit, and detects a part where printing is not erased on the ticket surface of the card. A printing permission unit permits printing on the ticket surface of the card in which the erasure determination unit determines that printing of the ticket surface of the card is erased.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for printing characters and the like on the face of a card. [Background technology]

[0002] Contactless IC cards have traditionally been used as one of the ticket media for public transportation such as railways. As is well known, contactless IC cards have wireless communication capabilities and store ticket information in memory. These contactless IC cards are used not only as stored fare (SF) tickets but also as commuter passes. Contactless IC cards may be used as either SF tickets or commuter passes, or as both SF tickets and commuter passes.

[0003] When station equipment that can issue and renew commuter passes (for example, commuter pass issuing machines and ticket vending machines) issues or renews a contactless IC card as a commuter pass, it prints the commuter pass's validity period, validity zone, etc. on the face of the contactless IC card. The face of the contactless IC card is coated with, for example, a leuco dye so that the commuter pass's validity period, validity zone, etc. can be repeatedly printed.

[0004] Patent document 1 describes a device that, when renewing a commuter pass, confirms that the validity period, validity zone, etc. of the previous commuter pass have been correctly erased from the face of the contactless IC card, and then prints the validity period, validity zone, etc. of the commuter pass to be renewed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-292992 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the design of the face of a contactless IC card varies depending on the issuing company (railway company), commemorative card, collaboration card, etc. In other words, contactless IC cards do not have a single type of design on their face.

[0007] The conventional device described in Patent Document 1 and elsewhere did not take into account the pattern on the surface of the contactless IC card when checking whether the printing on the surface of the contactless IC card had been correctly erased. As a result, the conventional device sometimes erroneously determined that an area where the printing had not been erased was the pattern on the surface of the card. In other words, the conventional device sometimes printed the new commuter pass on a card where some of the printing on the old commuter pass had not been erased, resulting in a deterioration in print quality.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for suppressing deterioration in the printing quality of characters, figures, etc. on the face of a card. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the ticket printing device of the present invention is configured as follows.

[0010] The memory unit stores an image of the card face for each type of card. The card type referred to here is not a classification based on the card's use, but a classification based on the image of the card face. The print erasure unit selectively prints on the card face and erases print from the card face. For example, a leuco dye is applied to the surface (printed surface) of the card. As is well known, leuco dye can erase printed characters, figures, etc., and printed characters, figures, etc., by applying heat.

[0011] The card face image acquisition unit acquires an image of the card face. The type determination unit compares the image of the card face acquired by the card face image acquisition unit with the image of the card face stored in the memory unit to determine the type of card. The erasure determination unit determines whether the printing on the card face has been erased by the print erasure unit. This erasure determination unit compares the image of the card face from which the printing has been erased acquired by the card face image acquisition unit with the image of the card face of the type determined by the type determination unit, and detects areas on the card face where the printing has not been erased.

[0012] The print permission unit permits the print erasure unit to print on the face of the card on which the erasure determination unit has determined that the printing on the face of the card has been erased.

[0013] This configuration makes it possible to determine whether the characters, figures, etc. printed on the face of the card have been erased, without being affected by the pattern on the face of the card, thereby preventing a decrease in the print quality of the characters, figures, etc. printed on the face of the card.

[0014] Furthermore, the type determination unit is configured to, for example, compare the image of the card face in the non-printing area of ​​the card face, where no printing is performed by the printing erasure unit, with the image of the card face stored in the memory unit to determine the type of the card, thereby making it possible to determine the type of card, i.e., the image of the card face, without being influenced by the characters, figures, etc. printed on the card face.

[0015] The ticket printing device may also have the following configuration.

[0016] In this card face printing device, a print erasure unit selectively prints on the card face and erases the print on the card face. A card face image acquisition unit acquires an image of the card face. This card face image acquisition unit can selectively acquire a visible light image of the card face and an infrared image of the card face.

[0017] The erasure determination unit determines whether the printing on the face of the card has been erased by the printing erasure unit. The erasure determination unit compares the visible light image of the face of the card from which the printing has been erased by the printing erasure unit with the infrared image, and detects areas on the face of the card where the printing has not been erased. Because leuco dye transmits infrared light regardless of whether printing is present or not, the infrared image acquired by the face image acquisition unit is an image of the pattern on the face of the card.

[0018] The print permission unit permits the print erasure unit to print on the face of the card on which the erasure determination unit has determined that the printing on the face of the card has been erased.

[0019] This configuration also makes it possible to determine whether the characters, figures, etc. printed on the face of the card have been erased, without being affected by the pattern on the face of the card, thereby preventing a decrease in the print quality of the characters, figures, etc. printed on the face of the card.

[0020] The erasure determination unit may also be configured to detect areas on the card face where the printing has not been erased by the print erasure unit, for example, by having the card face image acquisition unit compare an edge image of the visible light image of the card face from which the printing has been erased with an edge image of the infrared image. The edge image of the visible light image shows edges of letters, figures, etc. from which the printing has not been erased, but the edge image of the infrared image does not show edges of letters, figures, etc. from which the printing has not been erased.

[0021] Furthermore, for example, a print defect determination unit may be provided that determines whether or not a print defect has occurred when the print erasure unit prints on the card face. In this case, the print erasure unit may reprint on the card face when the print defect determination unit determines that a print defect has occurred. Furthermore, the print erasure unit may reprint on the card face after erasing the print on the card face. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] According to this invention, it is possible to prevent deterioration in the printing quality of characters, figures, etc. on the face of the card. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] Figure 1(A) is a diagram showing the face of a contactless IC card on which the validity period, validity area, etc. of a commuter pass are not printed, and Figure 1(B) is a diagram showing the face of a contactless IC card on which the validity period, validity area, etc. of a commuter pass are printed. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of a ticket printing device. [Figure 3] 3(A) and 3(B) are schematic diagrams showing the transport path of the IC card. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the ticket printing device. [Figure 5] 5A and 5B are diagrams showing examples of image areas used to determine the type of IC card. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of a ticket face printing device according to the first modified example. [Figure 7] 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams showing the transport path of the IC card in the first modification. [Figure 8] Figure 8(A) is a visible light image of an IC card with the validity period and validity zone of the commuter pass printed on the face of the card, Figure 8(B) is an edge image of this visible light image, and Figure 8(C) is an edge image of the infrared image of this IC card. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the ticket face printing device of the first modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0025] <1. Application Examples> Figure 1(A) is a diagram showing the face of a contactless IC card on which the validity period, validity area, etc. of a commuter pass are not printed, and Figure 1(B) is a diagram showing the face of a contactless IC card on which the validity period, validity area, etc. of a commuter pass are printed.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, a pattern (design) is printed on the face of the contactless IC card 100 (hereinafter simply referred to as IC card 100). Furthermore, a leuco dye is applied to the face of the IC card 100, allowing characters, figures, etc. to be repeatedly printed and erased. The IC card 100 is a so-called rewrite card. As shown in FIG. 1(B), the face of the IC card 100 is printed with the validity period 101, validity zone 102, etc. of the commuter pass.

[0027] 1 is an example. The design on the face of the IC card 100 varies depending on the issuing company (railway company), commemorative card, collaboration card, etc.

[0028] The ticket printing device in this example is applied to station equipment (for example, a commuter pass issuing machine or a ticket vending machine) that can issue and renew commuter passes. The ticket printing device prints the commuter pass's validity period 101, validity zone 102, etc. on the face of the IC card 100 in accordance with instructions from the station equipment (host device) to which it is applied.

[0029] In this example, the ticket printer erases the printing on the face of the IC card 100 (printing related to the validity period 101, validity zone 102, etc. of the commuter pass before renewal), and then prints the validity period 101, validity zone 102, etc. of the commuter pass to be issued. The ticket printer in this example determines the type of IC card 100, thereby acquiring the pattern on the face of the IC card 100. The ticket printer also acquires an image of the face of the IC card 100 from which the printing has been erased. The ticket printer compares these images and detects areas where the printing has not been erased, thereby determining whether the erasure of the printing on the face of the IC card 100 has been properly performed. Therefore, the ticket printer can determine whether the erasure of the printing on the face of the IC card 100 has been properly performed, without being affected by the pattern on the face of the IC card 100. If the ticket printer determines that the erasure of the printing on the face of the IC card 100 has not been properly performed, it erases the printing again.

[0030] In addition, when the ticket printing device determines that the printing on the face of the IC card 100 has been properly erased, it prints the validity period 101, validity zone 102, etc. of the commuter pass to be issued on the face of the IC card 100.

[0031] Therefore, the ticket printer of this example is not affected by the pattern on the face of the contactless IC card and can prevent erroneous determination of an area where the printing has not been erased as the pattern on the face of the card. In other words, the ticket printer of this example can prevent printing of the commuter pass to be renewed on the face of IC card 100 where some of the printing on the old commuter pass has not been erased, thereby preventing a deterioration in print quality.

[0032] <2.Configuration example> Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of the card face printing device of this example. Fig. 3(A) and (B) are schematic diagrams showing the transport path of the IC card. Fig. 3(A) is a plan view seen from a direction parallel to the transport surface of the transport path of the IC card, and Fig. 3(B) is a plan view seen from a direction perpendicular to the transport surface of the transport path of the IC card.

[0033] The ticket printing device 1 in this example is applied to station equipment (for example, a commuter pass issuing machine or a ticket vending machine) that can issue and renew commuter passes. The ticket printing device 1 is incorporated into the station equipment, for example. The ticket printing device 1 in this example includes a control unit 11, a ticket image storage unit 12, a print erasure unit 13, a ticket image acquisition unit 14, a transport unit 15, and an input / output unit 16.

[0034] The control unit 11 controls the operation of each section of the main body of the ticket printing device 1. The control unit 11 also has a type determination section 11a, an erasure determination section 11b, a print permission section 11c, and a print defect determination section 11d. The type determination section 11a, the erasure determination section 11b, the print permission section 11c, and the print defect determination section 11d that the control unit 11 has will be described later.

[0035] The face image storage unit 12 stores an image of the face of the IC card 100 for each type of pattern drawn on the face of the IC card 100. The face image storage unit 12 corresponds to the storage unit referred to in this invention. The face image storage unit 12 may be configured with a storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), or may be configured with other types of storage media.

[0036] The print erasure unit 13 has a thermal head 13a. The print erasure unit 13 controls the thermal head 13a to selectively erase characters and figures printed on the surface of the IC card 100 being transported along the transport path, and print characters, figures, etc. The IC card 100 is a rewritable card with a leuco dye applied to its surface. The print erasure unit 13 erases and prints characters by applying heat to the surface of the IC card 100 with the thermal head 13a.

[0037] The face image acquisition unit 14 acquires a visible light image of the face of the IC card 100 being transported along the transport path. The face image acquisition unit 14 has a light source 14a and an image sensor 14b. The light source 14a irradiates visible light onto the face of the IC card 100 being transported along the transport path. The image sensor 14b detects the light irradiated from the light source 14a and reflected by the face of the IC card 100.

[0038] It should be noted that the face image acquisition unit 14 only needs to be able to acquire a visible light image of the face of the IC card 100, and the image sensor 14b may be a line sensor or an area sensor. The face image acquisition unit 14 may also be configured with a CIS (Contact Image Sensor).

[0039] The transport unit 15 transports the IC card 100 in the forward and reverse directions along the transport path. The forward direction here refers to the direction from the card insertion slot provided on the front of the station service equipment (not shown) toward the thermal head 13a, and the reverse direction refers to the direction from the thermal head 13a toward the card insertion slot.

[0040] The input / output unit 16 inputs and outputs data to and from the station service equipment, which is a higher-level device. The validity period, validity zone, etc. to be printed on the face of the IC card 100 are input from the station service equipment to the input / output unit 16. The input / output unit 16 also outputs a notification to the station service equipment that printing of the validity period, validity zone, etc. to be printed on the face of the IC card 100 has been completed.

[0041] Next, the type determining section 11a, the erasing determining section 11b, the print permission section 11c, and the print defect determining section 11d included in the control unit 11 will be described.

[0042] The type determination unit 11a compares the image of the face of the IC card 100 acquired by the face image acquisition unit 14 with the face images stored in the face image storage unit 12 for each type of IC card 100, and determines the type of the IC card 100 acquired by the face image acquisition unit 14. The type determination unit 11a determines the type of the IC card 100 acquired by the face image acquisition unit 14, thereby acquiring the pattern on the face of this IC card 100.

[0043] The erasure determination unit 11b detects areas on the face of the IC card 100 where printing has not been erased, from which printing has been erased by the printing erasure unit 13, and determines whether the erasure of the printing from the face of the IC card 100 has been properly performed based on the detection result. The erasure determination unit 11b detects areas on the face of the IC card 100 where printing has not been erased by generating a difference image between two images. One of the two images is an image of the face of the IC card 100 from which printing has been erased by the printing erasure unit 13, and this image is acquired by the face image acquisition unit 14. The other of the two images is an image of the face of the IC card 100 of the type from which printing has been erased by the printing erasure unit 13, stored in the face image storage unit 12.

[0044] The print permission unit 11c permits the print erasure unit 13 to print on the face of the IC card 100. When the erasure determination unit 11b determines that the erasure of the print on the face of the IC card 100 has not been performed properly, the print permission unit 11c does not permit the print erasure unit 13 to print on the face of the IC card 100.

[0045] The print defect determination unit 11d detects the printed areas on the face of the IC card 100 on which the print erasure unit 13 has printed, and determines whether the printing on the face of the IC card 100 has been performed properly based on the detection results. The print defect determination unit 11d detects the printing on the face of the IC card 100 by generating a difference image between two images. One of the two images is an image of the face of the IC card 100 on which the print erasure unit 13 has printed, and this image is acquired by the face image acquisition unit 14. The other of the two images is an image of the face of the IC card 100 of the type on which the print erasure unit 13 has printed, which is stored in the face image storage unit 12.

[0046] The control unit 11 of the certificate printing device 1 is composed of a hardware CPU, memory, and other electronic circuits. When the hardware CPU executes the certificate printing program of the present invention, it operates as a type determination unit 11a, an erasure determination unit 11b, a print permission unit 11c, and a print defect determination unit 11d. The memory also has an area for expanding the certificate printing program of the present invention and an area for temporarily storing data generated when the certificate printing program is executed. The control unit 11 may be an LSI that integrates the hardware CPU, memory, etc. The hardware CPU is also a computer that executes the certificate printing method of the present invention.

[0047] <3. Example of operation> 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the document printer 1 of this example. When the IC card 100 is inserted into a card insertion slot (not shown), the document printer 1 starts transporting the IC card 100 (s1, s2). At s2, the IC card 100 is transported in the forward direction shown in FIG.

[0048] When the leading edge of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction reaches the thermal head 13a, the card face printer 1 starts the process of erasing the printing on the face of the IC card 100 using the print erasing unit 13 (s3). In the process of erasing the printing on the face of the IC card 100, the thermal head 13a applies heat to the face of the IC card 100 until the temperature of the face of the IC card 100 reaches erasure temperature t1. When the trailing edge of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction reaches the image sensor 14b side of the thermal head 13a (i.e., when the IC card 100 passes the thermal head 13a), the print erasing unit 13 ends the process of erasing the printing on the face of the IC card 100.

[0049] The certificate face printer 1 also acquires a visible light image of the face of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction (s4). When the leading edge of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction reaches the image sensor 14b, the certificate face image acquisition unit 14 starts irradiating the face of the IC card 100 with visible light from the light source 14a and detecting the reflected light from the image sensor 14b. When the trailing edge of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction passes the image sensor 14b, the certificate face image acquisition unit 14 stops acquiring a visible light image of the face of the IC card 100. The certificate face image acquisition unit 14 stops irradiating visible light from the light source 14a and stops detecting the reflected light from the image sensor 14b.

[0050] The process at s4 does not start after the process at s3 is completed, but starts when the leading edge of the IC card 100 being conveyed in the forward direction reaches the image sensor 14b.

[0051] When the conveyance unit 15 has finished acquiring the visible light image of the face of the IC card 100, it temporarily stops conveying the IC card 100 in the forward direction.

[0052] The type determination unit 11a determines the type of IC card 100 from which the printing has been erased (s5). The type determination unit 11a determines the type of IC card 100 from which the printing has been erased by comparing the visible light image of the IC card 100 face acquired in s4 with the face images of the IC card 100 stored for each type in the face image storage unit 12. In s5, the entire image of the IC card 100 face acquired in s4 may be used, but if any printing that was not erased in s3 remains, this can reduce the accuracy of the determination. Therefore, in this example, the image is compared in an area not used for printing information such as the validity period and validity zone of the commuter pass. For example, the image is compared in the upper left area 105a of the face of the IC card 100 shown in FIG. 5(A) or in the outer peripheral area 105b of the face of the IC card 100 shown in FIG. 5(B).

[0053] It should be noted that the regions shown in FIGS. 5(A) and (B) are merely examples, and are not limited to the regions shown in the drawings.

[0054] Furthermore, since the card face printing device 1 determines the type by comparing only a portion of the area 105a, 105b rather than the entire image of the face of the IC card 100 acquired in s4, the processing time required to determine the type of the IC card 100 can be reduced.

[0055] After determining the type of IC card 100 in s5, the card printer 1 determines whether the erasure of the printing has been performed properly (s6). In s6, the entire image of the face of the IC card 100 acquired in s4 is compared with the face image of the IC card 100 of the type determined in s5, and areas where the printing has not been erased in s3 are detected. Specifically, the erasure determination unit 11b generates a difference image between the face image of the IC card 100 acquired in s4 and the face image of the IC card 100 of the type determined in s5, thereby detecting pixels that differ between the two images (pixels where the printing has not been erased). For example, if the number of detected pixels exceeds a predetermined threshold number of pixels, the erasure determination unit 11b determines that the erasure of the printing has not been performed properly. In other words, for example, if the number of detected pixels does not exceed a predetermined threshold number of pixels, the erasure determination unit 11b determines that the erasure of the printing has been performed properly.

[0056] If the card face printer 1 determines in s6 that the erasure of the printing was inappropriate, it erases the printing from the face of the IC card 100 again and acquires a visible light image (s11, s12), and then returns to s6. The processing in s11 and s12 is the same as the processing in s3 and s4.

[0057] Before starting the processes of s11 and s12, the conveying unit 15 conveys the IC card 100 in the reverse direction, moving the IC card 100 closer to the card insertion slot than the thermal head 13a. This conveying of the IC card 100 in the reverse direction should be started immediately after the acquisition of the visible light image is completed in s4 and the forward conveying of the IC card 100 is temporarily stopped, without waiting for the determination result in s6.

[0058] If the ticket printing device 1 determines in s6 that the erasure of the printing is appropriate, the printing permission unit 11c permits the printing and erasing unit 13 to print the validity period and validity zone of the currently issued commuter pass on the face of the IC card 100. Upon receiving printing permission from the printing permission unit 11c, the printing and erasing unit 13 performs a printing process to print the validity period and validity zone of the currently issued commuter pass on the face of the IC card 100 (s7). The validity period and validity zone of the commuter pass to be printed in s7 are input to the input / output unit 16 from a higher-level device.

[0059] Before starting the process of s7, the conveying unit 15 conveys the IC card 100 in the reverse direction, moving the IC card 100 closer to the card insertion slot than the thermal head 13a. As described above, it is preferable to start conveying the IC card 100 in the reverse direction immediately after completing acquisition of the visible light image in s4 and temporarily suspending the forward conveyance of the IC card 100, without waiting for the determination result in s6.

[0060] In the printing process on the face of this IC card 100, thermal head 13a applies heat to the face of IC card 100 until the face reaches printing temperature t2 (erasing temperature t1<printing temperature t2). When the rear end of IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction reaches the image sensor 14b side of thermal head 13a (i.e., when IC card 100 passes thermal head 13a), print erasing unit 13 ends the printing process on the face of this IC card 100.

[0061] The card face printing device 1 also acquires a visible light image of the face of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction (s8). The processing in s8 is the same as the processing in s4. When the rear end of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction passes the image sensor 14b, the card face image acquisition unit 14 stops acquiring the visible light image of the face of the IC card 100. When the transport unit 15 stops acquiring the visible light image of the face of the IC card 100, it temporarily suspends the transport of the IC card 100 in the forward direction.

[0062] The process in s8 does not start after the process in s7 is completed, but starts when the leading edge of the IC card 100 being conveyed in the forward direction reaches the image sensor 14b.

[0063] The card printer 1 determines whether the printing on the face of the IC card 100 is appropriate (s9). The print defect determination unit 11d compares the visible light image of the face of the IC card 100 acquired in s8 with the face image of the IC card 100 of the type determined in s5, and determines whether the printing in s7 was performed appropriately. Specifically, the print defect determination unit 11d generates a difference image between the image of the face of the IC card 100 acquired in s8 and the face image of the IC card 100 of the type determined in s5, thereby obtaining an image of characters, etc. printed on the face of the IC card 100 in s7. The print defect determination unit 11d determines whether the printing on the face of the IC card 100 is appropriate based on the obtained image of characters, etc. printed on the face of the IC card 100 (the generated difference image).

[0064] If the card face printer 1 determines in s9 that the printing on the face of the IC card 100 is not appropriate, it returns to s7 and prints the validity period and validity zone on the face of the IC card 100 again.

[0065] In addition, while the card face printing device 1 is performing the process of s9, the transport unit 15 may transport the IC card 100 in the opposite direction, moving the IC card 100 closer to the card insertion slot than the thermal head 13a.

[0066] If the card face printer 1 determines in s9 that the printing on the face of the IC card 100 is correct, it ejects the IC card 100 into the card insertion slot (s10) and returns to s1.

[0067] In this way, the certificate printer 1 of this example can check whether the validity period, validity zone, etc. printed on the face of the IC card 100 have been properly erased without being affected by the pattern on the face of the IC card 100. Therefore, the certificate printer 1 of this example can prevent a decrease in the printing quality of the validity period, validity zone, etc. printed on the face of the IC card 100.

[0068] In the above example, if it is determined in s9 that the printing on the face of the IC card 100 is inappropriate, the process returns to s7, but it may also proceed to s11. In other words, if it is determined in s9 that the printing on the face of the IC card 100 is inappropriate, the print erasure process may be performed on the face of the IC card 100 again.

[0069] In addition, the conveying unit 15 conveys the IC card 100 in the forward or reverse direction depending on the printing and erasing on the face of the IC card 100 by the above-mentioned printing and erasing unit 13, and the acquisition of a visible light image of the face of the IC card 100 by the face image acquisition unit 14.

[0070] Furthermore, the arrangement order of the thermal head 13a, the light source 14a, and the image sensor 14b may be reversed from that shown in Fig. 3. However, if the arrangement order is reversed, printing or erasing can be performed while transporting the IC card 100 in the reverse direction, and an image of the card surface can be obtained.

[0071] In order to reduce the processing time, the light source 14a and the image sensor 14b may be disposed on either side of the thermal head 13a.

[0072] <4. Modifications> Variation 1 Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of the card face printing device of this modified example 1. Fig. 7(A) and (B) are schematic diagrams showing the transport path of the IC card. Fig. 7(A) is a plan view seen from a direction parallel to the transport surface of the transport path of the IC card, and Fig. 7(B) is a plan view seen from a direction perpendicular to the transport surface of the transport path of the IC card.

[0073] The ticket printer 2 of this modified example 1 is also applied to and incorporated into station service equipment that can issue and renew commuter passes. The ticket printer 2 comprises a control unit 21, a print-and-erase unit 22, a ticket image acquisition unit 23, a transport unit 24, and an input / output unit 25.

[0074] The control unit 21 controls the operation of each section of the main body of the ticket printing device 2. The control unit 21 also has an erasure determination section 21a, a print permission section 21b, and a print defect determination section 21c. The erasure determination section 21a, the print permission section 21b, and the print defect determination section 21c of the control unit 21 will be described later.

[0075] The print erasure unit 22 has a thermal head 22a. The print erasure unit 22 has the same configuration as the print erasure unit 13 in the above example. Also in this example, the IC card 100 is a rewritable card with a leuco dye applied to its surface.

[0076] The face image acquisition unit 23 acquires an image of the face of the IC card 100 being transported along the transport path. The face image acquisition unit 23 has a light source 23a, an image sensor 23b, a light source 23c, and an image sensor 23d. The light source 23a irradiates visible light onto the face of the IC card 100 being transported along the transport path. The image sensor 23b acquires a visible light image of the face of the IC card 100 by detecting the light irradiated from the light source 23a and reflected off the face of the IC card 100. The light source 23c irradiates infrared light (near-infrared light) onto the face of the IC card 100 being transported along the transport path. The image sensor 23d acquires an infrared image of the face of the IC card 100 by detecting the light irradiated from the light source 23c and reflected off the face of the IC card 100. In other words, the face image acquisition unit 23 can acquire visible light images and infrared images of the face of the IC card 100 being transported along the transport path.

[0077] The transport unit 24 transports the IC card 100 in the forward and reverse directions along the transport path. The forward direction here refers to the direction from the card insertion slot provided on the front of the station service equipment (not shown) toward the thermal head 22a, and the reverse direction refers to the direction from the thermal head 22a toward the card insertion slot. The transport unit 24 has the same configuration as the transport unit 15 in the above example.

[0078] The input / output unit 25 inputs and outputs data to and from station service equipment, which is a higher-level device.

[0079] The input / output unit 25 inputs and outputs data to and from the station service equipment, which is a higher-level device. The validity period, validity zone, etc. to be printed on the face of the IC card 100 are input from the station service equipment to the input / output unit 25. The input / output unit 25 also outputs to the station service equipment a notification that printing of the validity period, validity zone, etc. to be printed on the face of the IC card 100 has been completed. This input / output unit 25 has the same configuration as the input / output unit 16 in the above example.

[0080] Next, the erasure determination unit 21a, the print permission unit 21b, and the print defect determination unit 21c included in the control unit 21 will be described.

[0081] The erasure determination unit 21a detects areas on the face of the IC card 100 where printing has not been erased, from which the printing erasure unit 22 has erased the printing, and determines based on the detection result whether the erasure of the printing on the face of the IC card 100 has been properly performed. The erasure determination unit 21a detects areas on the face of the IC card 100 where printing has not been erased, by generating a difference image between two images. One of the two images is an edge image of a visible light image of the face of the IC card 100 where printing has been erased by the print erasure unit 22, and this visible light image is acquired by the face image acquisition unit 23. The other of the two images is an edge image of an infrared image of the face of the IC card 100 where printing has been erased by the print erasure unit 22, and this infrared image is also acquired by the face image acquisition unit 23.

[0082] As is well known, the edge image can be generated by image processing using a differential filter such as a Prewitt filter, a Sobel filter, or a Laplacian filter.

[0083] Fig. 8(A) is a visible light image of an IC card with the validity period and validity zone of a commuter pass printed on its face, Fig. 8(B) is an edge image of this visible light image, and Fig. 8(C) is an edge image of an infrared image of this IC card. As shown in Figs. 8(B) and 8(C), the edges of the characters indicating the validity period and validity zone of the commuter pass printed on the face of IC card 100 appear in the edge image of the visible light image, but the edges of the characters indicating the validity period and validity zone of the commuter pass printed on the face of IC card 100 do not appear in the edge image of the infrared image. The difference between the two images arises because visible light is reflected by the color-producing areas of the leuco dye, while infrared light also passes through the color-producing areas of the leuco dye.

[0084] The print permission unit 21b instructs the print erasure unit 22 to permit printing on the face of the IC card 100. When the erasure determination unit 21a determines that the erasure of the printing on the face of the IC card 100 has not been performed properly, the print permission unit 21b does not permit the print erasure unit 22 to print on the face of the IC card 100.

[0085] The print defect determination unit 21c detects printed locations on the face of the IC card 100 on which the print erasing unit 22 has printed, and determines whether the printing on the face of the IC card 100 has been performed properly based on the detection results. The print defect determination unit 11d detects the printing on the face of the IC card 100 by generating a difference image between two images. One of the two images is an edge image of a visible light image of the face of the IC card 100 on which the print erasing unit 22 has printed, and the other of the two images is an edge image of an infrared image of the face of the IC card 100 on which the print erasing unit 22 has printed. The print defect determination unit 21c determines whether the printing on the face of the IC card 100 has been performed properly by detecting edges that appear in the difference image and are not edges of characters, etc. printed by the print erasing unit 22.

[0086] The control unit 21 of the certificate printing device 2 is composed of a hardware CPU, memory, and other electronic circuits. When the hardware CPU executes the certificate printing program of the present invention, it operates as an erasure determination unit 21a, a print permission unit 21b, and a print defect determination unit 21c. The memory also has an area for expanding the certificate printing program of the present invention and an area for temporarily storing data generated when the certificate printing program is executed. The control unit 21 may be an LSI that integrates the hardware CPU, memory, etc. The hardware CPU is also a computer that executes the certificate printing method of the present invention.

[0087] The operation of the certificate printing device 2 of this modified example 1 will be described. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the certificate printing device of this modified example 1. When the IC card 100 is inserted into the card insertion slot, the certificate printing device 2 starts transporting the IC card 100 (s21, s22). In s22, the IC card 100 is transported in the forward direction shown in Figure 7.

[0088] When the leading edge of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction reaches the thermal head 22a, the card face printer 2 starts the process of erasing the printing on the face of the IC card 100 using the print erasing unit 22 (s23). In the process of erasing the printing on the face of the IC card 100, the thermal head 22a applies heat to the face of the IC card 100 until the face reaches an erasure temperature t1. When the trailing edge of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction reaches the image sensor 23b side of the thermal head 22a (i.e., when the IC card 100 passes the thermal head 22a), the print erasing unit 22 ends the process of erasing the printing on the face of the IC card 100.

[0089] Furthermore, the certificate face printer 2 acquires a visible light image of the face of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction (s24). When the leading edge of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction in the certificate face printer 1 reaches the image sensor 23b, the certificate face image acquisition unit 23 starts irradiating the face of the IC card 100 with visible light from the light source 23a and detecting the reflected light from the image sensor 23b. When the trailing edge of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction passes the image sensor 23b, the certificate face image acquisition unit 23 stops acquiring a visible light image of the face of the IC card 100. The certificate face image acquisition unit 14 stops irradiating visible light from the light source 23a and stops detecting reflected light from the image sensor 23b.

[0090] Furthermore, the certificate face printing device 2 acquires an infrared image of the face of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction (s25). When the leading edge of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction in the certificate face printing device 1 reaches the image sensor 23d, the certificate face image acquisition unit 23 starts irradiating the face of the IC card 100 with infrared light from the light source 23c and detecting the reflected light from the image sensor 23d. When the trailing edge of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction passes the image sensor 23d, the certificate face image acquisition unit 23 stops acquiring an infrared image of the face of the IC card 100. The certificate face image acquisition unit 23 stops irradiating the infrared light from the light source 23c and stops detecting the reflected light from the image sensor 23d.

[0091] The process in s24 is not performed after the process in s23 is completed, but is started when the leading edge of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction reaches the image sensor 23b. The process in s25 is not performed after the process in s24 is completed, but is started when the leading edge of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction reaches the image sensor 23d.

[0092] When the conveyance unit 24 has finished acquiring the infrared image of the face of the IC card 100, it temporarily stops conveying the IC card 100 in the forward direction.

[0093] The card face printer 2 determines whether the erasure of the printing was performed properly (s26). The erasure determination unit 21a generates an edge image of the visible light image of the face of the IC card 100 acquired in s24, and also generates an edge image of the infrared image of the face of the IC card 100 acquired in s25. The erasure determination unit 21a generates a difference image between the edge image of the visible light image of the face of the IC card 100 and the edge image of the infrared image of the face of the IC card 100, and detects areas (pixels) where the printing was not erased in s23. For example, if the number of detected pixels exceeds a predetermined threshold number of pixels, the erasure determination unit 21a determines that the erasure of the printing was not proper. In other words, for example, if the number of detected pixels does not exceed the predetermined threshold number of pixels, the erasure determination unit 21a determines that the erasure of the printing was proper.

[0094] If the printer 2 determines in s26 that the erasure of the print is not appropriate, it returns to s23 and repeats the above-described process. After the transport unit 24 moves the IC card 100 closer to the card insertion slot than the thermal head 22a, the printer 2 repeats the process from s23 onwards.

[0095] It is preferable that the conveying unit 24 of the card printing device 2 starts conveying the IC card 100 in the reverse direction without waiting for the determination result in s26. For example, the conveying unit 24 completes the acquisition of the infrared image in s25, temporarily suspends the conveying of the IC card 100 in the forward direction, and then immediately starts conveying the IC card 100 in the reverse direction.

[0096] If the ticket printing device 2 determines in s26 that the erasure of the printing is appropriate, the printing permission unit 21b permits the printing erasure unit 22 to print the validity period and validity zone of the currently issued commuter pass on the face of the IC card 100. Upon receiving printing permission from the printing permission unit 21b, the printing erasure unit 22 performs a printing process to print the validity period and validity zone of the currently issued commuter pass on the face of the IC card 100 (s27). The validity period and validity zone of the commuter pass to be printed in s27 have been input to the input / output unit 25 from a higher-level device.

[0097] Before starting the process in s27, the conveying unit 24 conveys the IC card 100 in the reverse direction, moving the IC card 100 closer to the card insertion slot than the thermal head 22a. As described above, it is preferable to start conveying the IC card 100 in the reverse direction without waiting for the determination result in s26.

[0098] In the printing process on the face of this IC card 100, thermal head 22a applies heat to the face of IC card 100 until the face reaches printing temperature t2 (erasing temperature t1<printing temperature t2). When the rear end of IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction reaches the image sensor 23b side of thermal head 22a (i.e., when IC card 100 passes thermal head 22a), print erasing unit 22 ends the printing process on the face of this IC card 100.

[0099] The card face printer 2 also acquires a visible light image of the face of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction (s28). The process in s28 is the same as the process in s24. When the rear end of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction passes the image sensor 23b, the card face image acquisition unit 14 stops acquiring the visible light image of the face of the IC card 100.

[0100] Furthermore, the card face printing device 2 acquires an infrared image of the face of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction (s29). The processing in s29 is the same as the processing in s25. When the rear end of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction passes the image sensor 23d, the card face image acquisition unit 14 stops acquiring the infrared image of the face of this IC card 100.

[0101] The process in s28 is not performed after the process in s27 is completed, but is started when the leading edge of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction reaches the image sensor 23b. The process in s29 is not performed after the process in s28 is completed, but is started when the leading edge of the IC card 100 being transported in the forward direction reaches the image sensor 23d.

[0102] The card face printer 2 determines whether the printing on the face of the IC card 100 is appropriate (s30). The print defect determination unit 21c generates an edge image of the visible light image of the face of the IC card 100 acquired in s28, and also generates an edge image of the infrared image of the face of the IC card 100 acquired in s29. The print defect determination unit 21c generates a difference image between the edge image of the visible light image of the face of the IC card 100 and the edge image of the infrared image of the face of the IC card 100, and acquires an edge image of the characters printed on the face of the IC card 100 in s27. The print defect determination unit 21c determines whether the printing on the face of the IC card 100 is appropriate based on the acquired edge image (the generated difference image) of the characters, etc. printed on the face of the IC card 100.

[0103] If the card face printer 2 determines in s30 that the printing on the face of the IC card 100 is not appropriate, it returns to s27 and prints the validity period and validity zone on the face of the IC card 100 again.

[0104] While the card face printing device 2 is performing the process of s30, the transport unit 24 may transport the IC card 100 in the reverse direction, moving the IC card 100 closer to the card insertion slot than the thermal head 22a.

[0105] If the card face printer 1 determines in s30 that the printing on the face of the IC card 100 is correct, it ejects the IC card 100 into the card insertion slot (s31) and returns to s21.

[0106] In this way, the certificate face printer 2 of this example can check whether the validity period, validity zone, etc. printed on the face of the IC card 100 have been properly erased without being affected by the pattern on the face of the IC card 100. Therefore, the certificate face printer 2 of this example can prevent a deterioration in the printing quality of the validity period, validity zone, etc. on the face of the IC card 100.

[0107] In the above example, if it is determined in s30 that the printing on the face of IC card 100 is inappropriate, the process returns to s27, but it may also be configured to return to s23. In other words, if it is determined in s30 that the printing on the face of IC card 100 is inappropriate, the print erasure process may be performed on the face of IC card 100 again.

[0108] In addition, the conveying unit 24 conveys the IC card 100 in the forward or reverse direction depending on the printing and erasing on the face of the IC card 100 by the above-mentioned printing and erasing unit 22, and the acquisition of a visible light image or an infrared image of the face of the IC card 100 by the face image acquisition unit 23.

[0109] 7, the order in which light source 23a and image sensor 23b and light source 23c and image sensor 23d are arranged may be reversed. Light source 23a and image sensor 23b and light source 23c and image sensor 23d may be arranged closer to the card insertion slot than thermal head 22a. From the card insertion slot, the order may be light source 23c and image sensor 23d, thermal head 22a, light source 23a and image sensor 23b, or the order may be light source 23a and image sensor 23b, thermal head 22a, light source 23c and image sensor 23d.

[0110] Furthermore, the face image acquisition unit 23 may have any configuration as long as it is capable of acquiring a visible light image and an infrared image of the face of the IC card 100. For example, the face image acquisition unit 23 may be configured to simultaneously acquire a visible light image and an infrared image of the face of the IC card 100.

[0111] Furthermore, similar to the above example, the card face image acquisition unit 23 may be configured so that visible light images and infrared images of the face of the IC card 100 can be acquired on both sides of the thermal head 22a (configurations capable of acquiring visible light images and infrared images of the face of the IC card 100 may be arranged on both sides of the thermal head 22a).

[0112] The ticket printers 1 and 2 are not limited to station service equipment that prints and erases characters and the like on the face of the IC card 100 used as a commuter pass, but can also be applied to equipment that prints and erases characters and the like on the face of the IC card 100 used as a point card, etc. In other words, the equipment to which the ticket printers 1 and 2 can be applied is not limited to station service equipment.

[0113] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and that the components can be modified and embodied in practice without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, some components may be omitted from all the components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

[0114] Furthermore, the correspondence between the configuration according to the present invention and the configuration according to the above-described embodiment can be described as follows: <Appendix 1> a memory unit (12) for storing an image of the face of each card (100) for each type of card; a print erasing unit (13) that selectively prints on the face of the card (100) and erases the print on the face of the card (100); a card face image acquisition unit (14) that acquires an image of the face of the card (100); a type determination unit (11a) that compares the image of the face of the card (100) acquired by the card face image acquisition unit (14) with the image of the face of the card stored in the memory unit (12) and determines the type of the card (100); an erasure determination unit (11b) that determines whether the printing on the face of the card (100) has been erased by the printing erasure unit (13); a print permission unit (11c) that permits the print erasure unit (13) to print on the face of the card (100) that has been determined by the erasure determination unit (11b) to have the print erased; The erasure determination unit (11b) compares the image of the face of the card (100) from which the printing has been erased by the printing erasure unit (13), acquired by the face image acquisition unit (14), with the image of the face of the card (100) of the type determined by the type determination unit (11a), and detects areas on the face of the card (100) where the printing has not been erased, in this card face printing device (1).

[0115] <Appendix 2> a print erasing unit (22) that selectively prints on the face of the card (100) and erases the print on the face of the card (100); a card face image acquisition unit (23) that acquires an image of the face of the card (100); an erasure determination unit (21a) that determines whether the printing on the face of the card (100) has been erased by the printing erasure unit (22); a print permission unit (21b) that permits the print erasure unit (22) to print on the face of the card (100) that has been determined by the erasure determination unit (21a) to have the print erased; the card face image acquisition unit (23) selectively acquires a visible light image of the face of the card (100) and an infrared image of the face of the card (100); The erasure determination unit (21a) is a card face printing device (2) in which the card face image acquisition unit (23) compares a visible light image of the face of the card (100) from which printing has been erased by the printing erasure unit (22) with an infrared image, and detects areas on the face of the card (100) where printing has not been erased. [Explanation of symbols]

[0116] 1, 2...Ticket printing device 11, 21...Control unit 11a...Type determination section 11b, 21a...Erasure determination section 11c, 21b...Printing permission area 11d, 21c...Printing defect determination section 12...Card image storage unit 13, 22...Print erasure section 13a, 22a...thermal head 14, 23...Card image acquisition section 14a, 23a, 23c...light source 14b, 23b, 23d...Image sensor 15, 24...Transport section 16, 25...Input / output section 100...Contactless IC card (IC card)

Claims

1. A memory unit that stores images of card faces for each type of card classified according to the pattern drawn on the card face; a print erasing unit that selectively prints on the face of the card and erases the print on the face of the card; a card face image acquisition unit that acquires an image of the face of the card on which the print and erase unit selectively prints and erases printing; a type determination unit that compares the image of the face of the card acquired by the face image acquisition unit with the image of the face stored in the memory unit for each type of card, and determines the type of the card whose face image was acquired by the face image acquisition unit; an erasure determination unit that determines whether the printing on the face of the card has been erased by the printing erasure unit; a print permission unit that permits the print erasure unit to print on the face of the card for which the erasure determination unit has determined that the printing on the face of the card has been erased; The erasure determination unit of this card printing device compares the image of the card face from which the printing has been erased by the printing erasure unit, acquired by the card face image acquisition unit, with the image of the card face of the type determined by the type determination unit, stored in the memory unit, and detects areas on the card face where the printing has not been erased.

2. a print erasure unit that selectively prints on the face of the card and erases the print on the face of the card; a card face image acquisition unit for acquiring an image of the card face; an erasure determination unit that determines whether the printing on the face of the card has been erased by the printing erasure unit; a print permission unit that permits the print erasure unit to print on the face of the card where the erasure determination unit has determined that the printing on the face of the card has been erased; the card face image acquisition unit selectively acquires a visible light image of the card face and an infrared image of the card face; The erasure determination unit of this card printing device compares the visible light image and infrared image of the card face from which printing has been erased, acquired by the card face image acquisition unit, and detects areas on the card face where printing has not been erased.

3. The card type determination unit compares an image of the card face in an unused printing area of ​​the card face, where no printing is performed by the printing and erasing unit, with an image of the card face stored in the memory unit, to determine the type of the card.

4. The card face printing device of claim 2, wherein the erasure determination unit compares an edge image of a visible light image of the card face from which printing has been erased acquired by the card face image acquisition unit with an edge image of an infrared image, and detects areas on the card face where printing has not been erased.

5. a print defect determination unit that determines whether or not a print defect has occurred when the print erasing unit prints on the face of the card, 5. The card face printing device according to claim 1, wherein the print erasing unit reprints on the face of the card when the print defect determination unit determines that a print defect has occurred.

6. 6. The card face printing device according to claim 5, wherein the print erasing unit reprints on the face of the card after erasing the print on the face of the card.

7. a print erasing step for selectively printing on a face of the card and erasing the printing on the face of the card; a card face image acquisition step of acquiring an image of the card face on which printing and erasing are selectively performed in the printing and erasing step; a type determination step of comparing the image of the face of the card acquired in the card face image acquisition step with images of the face of the cards stored in a storage unit for each type of card to determine the type of the card; an erasure determination step for determining whether the printing on the face of the card has been erased in the printing erasure step; a print permission step of permitting printing on the face of the card determined in the erasure determination step to have been erased, The erasure determination step is a step of comparing an image of the face of the card from which the printing has been erased in the printing erasure step, acquired in the face image acquisition step, with an image of the face of the card of the type determined in the type determination step, stored in the memory unit, to detect areas on the face of the card where the printing has not been erased.

8. a print erasing step for selectively printing on a face of the card and erasing the printing on the face of the card; a card face image acquisition step of acquiring an image of the card face; an erasure determination step for determining whether the printing on the face of the card has been erased in the printing erasure step; a print permission step of permitting printing on the face of the card where it has been determined in the erasure determination step that the printing on the face of the card has been erased, the card face image acquisition step is a step of selectively acquiring a visible light image of the card face and an infrared image of the card face, The erasure determination step is a step of comparing a visible light image of the card face from which the printing has been erased and an infrared image acquired in the card face image acquisition step, and detecting areas on the card face where the printing has not been erased, in a card face printing method.

9. a print erasing step for selectively printing on a face of the card and erasing the printing on the face of the card; a card face image acquisition step of acquiring an image of the card face on which printing and erasing are selectively performed in the printing and erasing step; a type determination step of comparing the image of the face of the card acquired in the card face image acquisition step with images of the face of the cards stored in a storage unit for each type of card to determine the type of the card; an erasure determination step for determining whether the printing on the face of the card has been erased in the printing erasure step; a print permission step of permitting printing on the face of the card determined in the erasure determination step to have been erased; The erasure determination step is a step of comparing an image of the face of the card from which the printing has been erased in the printing erasure step, acquired in the face image acquisition step, with an image of the face of the card of the type determined in the type determination step, stored in the memory unit, and detecting areas on the face of the card where the printing has not been erased.

10. a print erasing step for selectively printing on a face of the card and erasing the printing on the face of the card; a card face image acquisition step of acquiring an image of the card face; an erasure determination step for determining whether the printing on the face of the card has been erased in the printing erasure step; a print permission step of permitting printing on the face of the card where it has been determined in the erasure determination step that the printing on the face of the card has been erased; the card face image acquisition step is a step of selectively acquiring a visible light image of the card face and an infrared image of the card face, The erasure determination step is a step of comparing a visible light image and an infrared image of the face of the card from which the printing has been erased, acquired in the face image acquisition step, and detecting areas on the face of the card where the printing has not been erased, in a card face printing program.

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