JP4558309B2 - Card handling device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a card handling apparatus that handles a rewritable card having a rewritable printing surface.

  Some types of cards such as tickets, boarding tickets, commuter passes have a rewritable print surface. Such cards include, for example, what are called cloudy type and leuco type. In the former, a recording layer in which a resin and a polymer are mixed is applied on a transparent film, and after heating up to 110 degrees, cooling can be used to print characters that are cloudy on the surface. Since the printed contents can be erased by heating to 70 to 100 degrees, the printed surface can be rewritten repeatedly. In the latter, a white leuco dye and a developer are applied to paper, and when high heat is applied, color develops due to a chemical reaction between the leuco dye and the developer. When heated to a temperature slightly lower than the reaction temperature, the leuco dye and the developer are separated, and thus the printed content can be erased. When such a rewrite card is used, a part of information recorded on the card by magnetism or IC can be visualized, so that there is an advantage that the convenience of the card can be improved.

  The technique described in Patent Document 1 discloses a rewrite card handling apparatus. In this apparatus, when a printed rewrite card is inserted, the printed surface can be erased, and necessary information can be newly printed and ejected.

JP 2002-113886 A

  Conventionally, there has been a problem that it takes a long time to erase, print, and eject a rewrite card. In particular, in a card that is erased and printed using heat as described above, the processing time required for erasing and printing is relatively long, and there has been a strong demand for shortening the processing time in order to improve the convenience of the card. Such a problem is particularly noticeable when a rewrite card is used for an application such as an entrance gate that requires a large number of cards to be processed one after another.

  Conventionally, there has also been a problem relating to the lifetime of the rewrite card, that is, the upper limit number of times of rewriting. When the rewrite card has reached the end of its life, the printed surface is not completely erased and printed, and the printed content becomes unclear. Conventionally, this life is nothing but a user's judgment by looking at a printed result, and for a card whose life has come, there is no other than reissuing a new card. At the time of reissuing the card, that is, since it is necessary to reprint the same contents printed on the card that has reached the end of its life on a new card, it still takes a long time for processing.

  In view of these problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for shortening the time required for handling a rewrite card and a technique for quickly determining the lifetime.

  The present invention is directed to a card handling apparatus that handles a rewritable card having a rewritable printing surface. In the present specification, the “card” means various media that can be provided with a printing surface, such as rewritable paper, including relatively thin ones. The card handling device of the present invention includes, as a first configuration, a card storage mechanism, a card stocker, a card issuing mechanism, and a control unit. The card storage mechanism is a mechanism for storing an inserted printed rewrite card, and includes, for example, a card insertion slot and a transport mechanism for transporting the card to a predetermined storage location. The card stocker stores unprinted rewrite cards. The card issuing mechanism issues a card by feeding out the rewrite card from the card stocker and printing information corresponding to the inserted rewrite card. That is, in the conventional card handling device, new information is printed and returned on the inserted card, whereas in the card handling device of the present invention, information is stored in a rewrite card different from the inserted card. Print and issue. The control unit controls the card storing mechanism and the card issuing mechanism so that at least a part of the storing and issuing of the card is executed in parallel.

  According to the present invention, since the card can be issued in parallel with the operation of storing the rewrite card, the processing time of the rewrite card can be shortened. For the user of a rewrite card, the information recorded on the card is important, and it is usually not so important as to whether or not the returned card is physically the same as the inserted card. Based on this point of view, there is no practical problem even when the inserted card is stored and another unprinted card is issued in parallel. The present invention makes use of the practical features of such a rewrite card to shorten the processing time from card insertion to ejection.

  In the present invention, an erasing mechanism for erasing the printing surface of the rewrite card may be provided in the storing process. In this way, the erased rewrite card can be easily reused as an unprinted card. The control unit preferably performs control so that the printing surface is erased in parallel with the card issuance. In this way, the processing time can be further shortened.

  In the present invention, the storage location of the inserted rewrite card may be provided separately from the card stocker or may be common. In the former case, for example, the inserted rewrite card becomes a so-called non-recirculating type device that is reused after an attendant or the like removes the printed contents from the device and erases the printed contents. The non-recirculation type apparatus has an advantage that the apparatus configuration is relatively simplified although the workload of the staff is large.

  In the latter case, the inserted rewrite card is stored in a card stocker, the printing surface is erased, and the card is reused as an unprinted card, a so-called recirculation type device. The printing surface may be erased during the card storing process by the above-described erasing mechanism, or may be erased after being stored in the card stocker.

  In this invention, you may provide the information transfer part for transferring the information currently recorded on the inserted card | curd to the card | curd issued. The information transfer unit includes, for example, a reading unit for reading information from an inserted card in a card storing process, and a recording unit for recording the read information on a newly issued card. Can be configured. In a rewritable card, information can be recorded using a magnetic stripe or a contact or non-contact IC. When information is recorded in this way, it is preferable that the card handling apparatus is provided with an information erasing mechanism for erasing the recorded information as well as the printing surface.

  In the card handling apparatus, the present invention can be configured to include an erasing mechanism, an image acquisition unit, and a determination unit as the second configuration. The erasing mechanism erases the printed surface of the inserted rewritten card. The image acquisition unit acquires image data for at least a part of the erased printing surface. Cards that have reached the end of their life are incompletely erased, leaving behind so-called disappearances. Based on the acquired image data, the determination unit determines whether or not to erase, that is, whether or not there is any unerasure. According to the present invention, it is possible to quickly determine the life of a card at the erasing stage without printing.

  In the second configuration, the image data may be acquired for the entire printing surface, or may be acquired for a part specified in advance according to the rewrite card. In a rewrite card, the position of the printing surface, the contents of printing, etc. are often determined according to the type. Therefore, by using the image data of the part specified in advance, it is possible to suppress the influence of noise and the like included in the image data other than the print surface and to determine whether or not to erase with high accuracy. In this configuration, not only the position of the printing surface but also the content to be printed may be considered. For example, if it is known that a specific character is printed, the influence of noise in other parts can be suppressed by focusing on the pixel of the part where the character is printed, and the determination accuracy is improved. Can be made.

  In a card handling device capable of handling multiple types of rewrite cards, position information such as coordinates indicating the part for which image data is to be acquired is stored for each type, and depending on the type of rewrite card inserted The position information may be used properly. The type of rewrite card can be determined according to, for example, the shape, color, specific character / symbol, and the like.

  The present invention does not necessarily have all the features described above, and may be applied by omitting some or combining them appropriately. The present invention may be configured as a card handling device that combines the first configuration and the second configuration. Furthermore, you may comprise as a storage medium which memorize | stored the control method of the card | curd handling apparatus mentioned above, the computer program for implement | achieving such control, and this computer program. Here, as a storage medium, a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD, a magneto-optical disk, an IC card, a ROM cartridge, a punch card, a printed matter on which a code such as a barcode is printed, an internal storage device of a computer (RAM or ROM Etc.) and various computer-readable media such as an external storage device can be used.

A. Device configuration:
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a card handling device 100 as an embodiment. The card handling device 100 can perform processing such as recording and reading of information on the rewrite card 10 shown in the drawing.

  The rewrite card 10 can record information invisible on the back surface by magnetism. Instead of magnetism, a contact type or non-contact type IC chip may be used. The front side surface of the rewrite card 10 is provided with a coating that can print information visually or erase the printed contents by heating. As the rewrite card 10, for example, a cloudy type, a leuco type, or the like can be applied.

  The rewrite card 10 can be used for managing points of each consumer in a service that gives points according to the purchase amount of the consumer at a store, for example. In such an application, the card handling device 100 reads magnetically recorded information such as points and member names from the inserted point card and magnetically records new information according to the purchase amount. In parallel with this, the printing surface is erased and the updated points are printed again.

  In the following embodiments, for the sake of convenience, the use as such a point card will be described as an example. However, the rewrite card 10 and the card handling device 100 are not limited to such applications, and can be used for various applications that require rewriting of the printing surface, such as tickets, boarding tickets, and commuter passes.

  As shown in the figure, the card handling device 100 is provided with a transport path 102 for transporting the card 10 from the opening 101. The card 10 is conveyed along the conveyance path 102 by a roller 110. A plurality of rollers are provided inside the card handling apparatus 100, but in order to avoid complication of the drawing, only those near the entrance are denoted by reference numerals. The transport path 102 is provided with a cleaner 130 that wipes off the printed surface of the card 10 with a cleaning sheet such as cloth or polyester, and a magnetic head 132 for reading and writing magnetic information.

  The conveyance path 102 branches to the conveyance paths 103 and 108 on the way. A gate 112 is provided at this branch point. The gate 112 can rotate in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and can switch the card 10 transport direction. The inserted card 10 is transported along the transport path 103 along the arrow A in the figure.

  In the conveyance path 103, an erasing head 134 and an image scanner 136 are provided. The erase head 134 erases the print surface by heating the print surface of the inserted card 10 to a temperature at which it can be erased. The image scanner 136 acquires image data of the printing surface. This image data is used to determine whether or not the printing surface has been properly erased.

  The transport path 103 further branches into transport paths 104 and 105. A gate 114 is provided at this branch point. The conveyance path 104 conveys the card to the card stocker 120 as indicated by arrow B, and the conveyance path 105 conveys the card to the reject box 122 as indicated by arrow C. The card stocker 120 is a storage box for storing the rewrite card 10 (hereinafter referred to as “unprinted card”) having a blank print surface. The reject box 122 is a storage box for storing the rewrite card 10 (hereinafter referred to as “reject card”) that has become unusable due to its life. The card handling device 100 switches the gate 114 based on the image data, so that the card 10 whose printing surface is properly erased is stored in the card stocker 120, and the card 10 whose erasure is inappropriate is stored in the reject box 122. To do.

  The card stocker 120 and the reject box 122 are recirculation-type storages in which cards can be inserted from above and discharged from below. A transport path 107 is connected to the outlet of the card stocker 120, and a transport path 106 is connected to the outlet of the reject box 122. These transport paths 107 and 106 are each connected to a transport path 108. The transport path 108 is provided with a thermal head 138 for applying heat to the printing surface of an unprinted card for printing. Below the thermal head 138, a platen roller 116 serving as a stand for printing is provided.

  The unprinted card fed out from the card stocker 120 is conveyed to the opening 101 through the conveyance paths 107 and 108 as indicated by an arrow D. An unprinted card is printed by the thermal head 138 during this conveyance process. Similarly, the card fed out from the reject box 122 can be transported to the opening 101 via the transport paths 106 and 108. The payout from the card stocker 120 is performed when a card using an unprinted card is issued, and the payout from the reject box 122 is performed when a staff member collects the reject card.

  Each part of the card handling apparatus 100 is controlled by the control unit 150. The control unit 150 is configured as a microcomputer having a CPU and a memory therein, and executes various controls relating to processing of the rewrite card 10 according to a program prepared in advance.

B. Function block:
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing functional blocks prepared for controlling the card handling device 100. In this embodiment, each functional block is configured by software by the control unit 150 executing a program prepared in advance. You may comprise at least one part of these functional blocks by hardware.

  The main control unit 151 controls the exchange of information between the functional blocks and synchronizes operations. The main control unit 151 also receives instructions for adding / decreasing points and other external inputs.

  The conveyance control unit 152 controls operations of the conveyance roller 110, the gates 112, 114, and the like in storing the card 10, issuing the card from the card stocker 120, collecting the card from the reject box 122, and the like. The magnetic head control unit 153 reads the magnetic information from the inserted card 10 and controls the magnetic head 132 so as to record the magnetic information on the newly issued card 10. The printing unit 154 controls the thermal head 138 to print a part of the magnetic information recorded on the card 10 on the printing surface.

  The erasing head control unit 155 controls the erasing head 134 to erase the printing surface of the card 10. The scan control unit 156 controls the image scanner 136 to acquire image data of the printed surface of the erased card 10. In this embodiment, only a specific part is scanned according to the type of the card 10. The scan-related parameter table 157 is a table that stores information (hereinafter referred to as “scan-related parameters”) for specifying a part to be scanned.

  In this embodiment, the scan target is limited to a rectangular area, and the x and y coordinates of the opposite vertices are used as scan-related parameters. In the figure, a partially enlarged view of the card 10 is shown. In this card 10, information such as a member number, name, point, and expiration date is printed in a printable area shown in white in the drawing, that is, an area 12 surrounded by a broken line in the printing surface 11. To do. For such a card 10, it is sufficient to determine whether or not to erase is appropriate only for the area 12. Accordingly, in the coordinate system with the upper left corner of the card 10 as the origin, the coordinates (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) of the two vertices of the area 12 are used as scan-related parameters. The card handling apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment stores scan-related parameters according to the type of the card 10 in order to handle a plurality of types of cards. In an apparatus that handles only a single type of card, the scan related parameter table 157 may be omitted, and the scan control unit 156 may hold the scan related parameters fixedly.

  In this embodiment, by narrowing down the area to be scanned, the influence of noise data obtained when scanning the hatched peripheral area in the figure can be suppressed, and the determination accuracy of erasure suitability is improved. can do. When it is not necessary to consider such an effect, or when the influence of noise can be sufficiently suppressed by another method, the entire surface of the card 10 may be scanned.

C. Card handling processing:
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the card handling process. When the printed card 10 is inserted into the opening 101, the printed surface of the card 10 is erased and collected, and the new card 10 is printed and issued. A card different from the inserted card is returned to the user who inserted the card 10. FIG. 3 shows the processing contents executed by the control unit 150 in order to realize this processing. As shown in the figure, the control unit 150 executes in parallel a card storing process for storing the inserted card 10 and a card issuing process for issuing a new card.

  The card storing process is started when the card 10 is inserted into the opening 101. When the insertion of the card 10 is detected, the control unit 150 sucks the card 10 into the apparatus by the transport roller 110 (step S10). In the process of transporting the card 10 to the transport paths 102 and 103, the control unit 150 reads the magnetic information recorded on the card 10 and identifies the type of the card based on the information (step S11). The type of card can be specified based on, for example, the content, format, etc. recorded as magnetic information.

  Next, the control unit 150 erases the printing surface of the card 10 with the erasing head 134, and scans the image on the printing surface with the image scanner 136 (step S12). Then, it is determined whether or not erasure has been normally performed based on the image data obtained by this scan (step S13). If the erasure is normal, the control unit 150 determines that the card 10 is reusable and stores the card 10 in the card stocker 120 (step S14). If the erasure is abnormal, it is determined that the card 10 cannot be reused, and the card 10 is stored in the reject box 122 (step S15). The suitability of erasure will be exemplified later.

  The control unit 150 executes card issuance processing in parallel with the above-described card storage processing. The card issuance process is started with the inhalation of the card 10 as a trigger. When the card issuing process is started, the control unit 150 delivers a new unprinted card from the card stocker 120 and conveys it toward the opening 101 (step S20). In this conveyance process, the control unit 150 acquires the magnetic information read from the inserted card as information to be recorded on a new card (step S21), and prints a part of the information by the thermal head 138. Magnetic recording is performed by the magnetic head 132 (step S22). At this time, if a point increase / decrease instruction is received, it is preferable to reflect the instruction. When the printing / information recording is completed in this way, the control unit 150 ejects the card from the opening 101 (step S23), and the card issuing process ends.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of erasing the print surface. The upper left shows a state at the time of insertion, that is, a state in which information such as a member number is printed on the printing surface 11. The lower left shows a state where the erasure is properly performed. At this time, the printing surface 11A is blank as shown in the figure.

  In the upper right and lower right, an example of inappropriate deletion is shown. For example, the upper right printing surface 11B shows an example in which the color of characters such as a membership number is generally light but is not completely erased as one mode of erasure failure. The lower right printing surface 11C shows an example in which characters such as a membership number remain in a streak shape and are not completely erased as another mode of erasure failure. In the case of defective erasure, a light color or a part of the original printed content remains in this way.

  The control unit 150 analyzes whether or not the image as shown on the printing surfaces 11B and 11C is present in at least a part of the image data of the printing surface after the erasing is performed, so that the erasing is normal. It can be determined whether or not. In this embodiment, this determination is made based on whether or not a density signal exceeding a predetermined threshold level is detected in the printing surface 11. For example, fixedly printed characters such as “membership number, name, point, expiration date” are stored as scan-related parameters, and the density signal is detected by narrowing down the region overlapped with these characters. It may be. By doing so, it is possible to suppress the influence of noise included in the image data of the margin part of the printing surface 11 and improve the determination accuracy.

  According to the card handling device 100 of the embodiment described above, the insertion of the inserted card 10 and the issuance of a new card 10, and hence the erasure and printing of the printing surface are performed in parallel, so that the card can be inserted. Processing time until return can be shortened. In addition, it is possible to determine the suitability of erasure based on the image data of the printing surface, and it is possible to quickly remove a card that has reached the end of its life and becomes unreusable without the user having to visually check the printing result.

D. Variations:
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a card handling device 100A as a first modification. The card handling apparatus 100A has an insertion port 101i for inserting the card 10 and a discharge port 101e for discharging the card. A conveyance path 103A is connected to the insertion port 101i. A cleaner 130A and a read magnetic head 132i are provided in the transport path 103A. A conveyance path 108A is connected to the discharge port 101e. A recording magnetic head 132e is provided at the discharge port 101e. The conveyance paths 103A and 108A are separated. The configuration of the other parts is the same as in the example (FIG. 1). In order to avoid complication of the figure, the control unit is not shown.

  In the card handling device 100A of the first modified example, the inserted card 10 is conveyed along the arrow A, and after reading magnetic information and erasing the printed surface, as shown by arrows B and C, It is stored in the card stocker 120 or the reject box 122. Further, the card 10 fed out from the card stocker 120 as indicated by an arrow D is discharged from the discharge port 101e after being printed by the thermal head 138 and magnetically recorded by the magnetic head 132e. Since the storage conveyance path 103A and the discharge conveyance path 108A are separated, the card storage process and the card issuance process can be performed in parallel as in the embodiment.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a card handling device 100B as a second modification. In order to avoid complication of the figure, the control unit is not shown. In this example, the card stockers 120B and 121B and the reject box 122B are each a non-circular type. As in the first modification, the card 10 inserted from the opening 101i is stored in the card stocker 121B or the reject box 122B as indicated by arrows B and C after the printing surface is erased while being conveyed along the arrow A. Is done. The card drawn out from the card stocker 120B as shown by the arrow D is discharged to the discharge port 101e through the transport path 108B. Since the insertion conveyance path 103A and the discharge conveyance path 108B are separated, the card storage process and the issuance process can be performed in parallel also in the second modification.

  In the second modified example, the clerk can continuously operate the card handling device 100B by periodically replacing the card stockers 120B and 121B and the reject box 122B. When storing the cards, the cards are stored separately in the card stocker 121B and the reject box 122 depending on whether or not they are erased. Therefore, only the cards that have not reached the end of their life can be appropriately reused.

  The configurations of the embodiments and the first and second modifications are merely examples, and the present invention can be applied to a card handling device having various configurations. For example, you may apply the non-reflux type storage shown in the 2nd modification to the composition of an example.

  In the embodiment, the card stocker 120 may be omitted. In other words, as in the prior art, an apparatus configuration that sequentially erases and prints the printed surface of the inserted card is used, and whether or not to erase is determined based on the image data of the printed surface. Also good. Even with this configuration, it is possible to obtain an effect of quickly excluding a card that has reached the end of its life.

  Conversely, the reject box may be omitted in the embodiment and the modification. Even with this configuration, it is possible to obtain a time shortening effect by storing and issuing cards in parallel.

  As mentioned above, although the various Example of this invention was described, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to these Examples, and can take a various structure in the range which does not deviate from the meaning. The present invention is not limited to a plastic or paper “card” having a size equivalent to that of a cash card, but also to a medium having various sizes and thicknesses that can be provided with a printing surface, such as a rewrite paper. Can be applied.

It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the card handling apparatus 100 as an Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the functional block prepared in order to control the card handling apparatus 100. FIG. It is a flowchart of a card handling process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of erasure | elimination of a printing surface. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of 100 A of card handling apparatuses as a 1st modification. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the card handling apparatus 100B as a 2nd modification.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Rewrite card 11, 11A, 11B, 11C ... Printing surface 12 ... Area | region 100, 100A, 100B ... Card handling apparatus 101 ... Opening 101i ... Insertion port 101e ... Ejection port 102, 103, 103A, 104-108, 108A, 108B ... Conveying path 110 ... Conveying roller 112, 114 ... Gate 116 ... Platen roller 120, 120B, 121B ... Card stocker 122, 122B ... Reject box 130, 130A ... Cleaner 132, 132i, 132e ... Magnetic head 134 ... Erasing head 136 ... Image Scanner 138 ... Thermal head 150 ... Control unit 151 ... Main control part 152 ... Conveyance control part 153 ... Magnetic head control part 154 ... Printing part 155 ... Erase head control part 156 ... Scan control part 157 ... Scan related parameters Meter table

Claims (3)

A card handling device for handling a rewritable card having a rewritable printing surface,
A cleaner to remove dirt on the printed surface of the inserted rewrite card;
An erasing mechanism for erasing the printed content of the printing surface;
An image acquisition unit that acquires image data for at least a part of the printed surface from which the print content has been erased;
A determination unit that determines the suitability of the erasure based on the acquired image data;
A card storage mechanism for storing a rewrite card in which the printed content is properly erased;
A card issuing mechanism for paying out a rewrite card from the card storage mechanism and issuing a card by printing information corresponding to the inserted rewrite card;
A controller that controls the card storage mechanism and the card issuing mechanism so that at least a part of the storage and issue of the card is performed in parallel;
The erasing mechanism erases the printing content of the printing surface after the cleaner has removed the dirt on the printing surface of the inserted rewrite card,
The image acquisition unit acquires image data for a part of the print surface from which the print content is erased, which is specified in advance according to the type of the inserted rewrite card after erasing the print content of the print surface. And
The card handling device, wherein the determination unit performs the determination based on the image data acquired by the image acquisition unit. The card handling device according to claim 1,
The rewrite card for which the determination unit determines that the print contents on the printing surface have been properly erased is stored in the card storage mechanism, and the rewrite card for which it has been determined that the print contents on the printing surface have not been properly deleted. Is a card handling device that is housed in a reject box. The card handling device according to claim 1,
The card handling device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines whether there is a density signal exceeding a predetermined threshold on the printing surface.

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