Receipt Discharge Port Conveying Path Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automatic transaction apparatuses face issues with mistaken card insertions due to the proximity of receipt discharge and card insert/discharge ports, leading to increased complexity and cost, as well as incomplete prevention of such mistakes without additional components or structural modifications.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a conveying path with dimensions and guide surfaces that prevent card insertion into the receipt discharge port by ensuring the path's width is less than the card's thickness, with specific configurations including tapered, curved, or protruded edges and the use of a shutter or sensors to detect and correct misplaced media, along with display guidance for users.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the receipt discharge port and card insert/discharge port are disposed near or adjacent to each other, then the customer can receive the card and receipt in a single movement, but the customer is likely to insert the magnetic card into the receipt discharge port by mistake
Solution Approach 1:
The conveying path has a localized restriction in the thickness direction at specific positions, creating a narrow passage that accepts only thin paper media while blocking thicker card media. This local dimensional variation prevents mistaken card insertion at the receipt discharge port while maintaining convenient proximity between ports.
2Reliability
If a shutter is provided to open the discharge passage only when the receipt is discharged, then mistaken insertion is prevented, but the machine becomes larger and the number of components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the shutter component entirely and replaces it with a fixed conveying path structure that has a narrow passage. This extraction of the movable shutter while maintaining the prevention function simplifies the device and reduces component count.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveying path structure itself performs the prevention function without requiring additional control mechanisms. The narrow passage automatically blocks card media based on its thickness, making the system self-regulating without needing shutters or complex control systems.
3Reliability
If the conveying path dimension in the thickness direction is made smaller than card thickness, then card insertion is prevented, but the paper medium conveyance may be restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The conveying path has different dimensional characteristics at different locations: a narrow passage in the thickness direction at the discharge port for blocking cards, and adequate width elsewhere for proper paper conveyance. This spatial variation in dimensions solves both requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses the thickness dimension (Z-axis) to differentiate between card and paper media, while the conveying path maintains adequate width in the horizontal dimensions for paper flow. By exploiting the thickness difference, the system prevents card insertion without restricting paper conveyance.
Data Source
AI summary
An automatic transaction apparatus includes a card insert port into which a card medium is inserted; a paper medium discharge section that has a discharge port from which a paper medium is discharged; and a conveying path that has a lower guide surface and an upper guide surface that guide conveyance of the paper medium and discharge of the paper medium from the discharge port, a dimension of the conveying path in a thickness direction of the paper medium being smaller than a thickness of the card medium at least at one position of the conveying path along a conveying direction.