JP3249018B2 - Forward and reverse bidirectional transport mechanism for flexible recording media - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transport mechanism for transporting a flexible recording medium in both forward and reverse directions.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a card reader for processing an airline boarding pass, which is an example of a flexible recording medium, the airline boarding pass is sandwiched between the driving surfaces of a driving belt and a driven belt, and is conveyed flat in one direction. Card processing. Both conveying surfaces usually have the same coefficient of friction. By the way, card readers are required to be reduced in size and processing time, and as one example satisfying such demands, it is possible to shorten the transport path by processing an air boarding pass by reciprocating in both forward and reverse directions. It is conceivable that when the size of the apparatus is reduced and the processing time is shortened in this way, the layout inside the apparatus becomes complicated, so that the transport path is curved.

[0003]

When an airline boarding pass is sandwiched between a transport surface of a drive belt and a transport surface of a driven belt having the same coefficient of friction, the transport belt reciprocates in a forward and reverse direction in a curved transport path. There is a problem that the transport speed of the air boarding pass differs between the transport and the reverse transport, so that the processing of the air boarding pass cannot be performed accurately. This can be attributed to the following. For example, as shown in FIG. 4 , the medium is transported at a thickness t wound around a driving roller F1 having a diameter E which is driven to rotate.
Bell with belt pitch line P at position a
In FIG. 4, assuming that the conveying surface speed at point X in FIG. 4 is S, the conveying speed at a point x1 of the pitch line indicated by the symbol P of the drive belt F2 wound around the drive roller F1 is S × ｛E + 2 (t -A)｝ / (E + 2t) (1), which is lower than the conveying surface speed S.
Therefore, assuming that the transport speed at the point y1 of the pitch line of the drive belt F2 in the driven roller G1 is the same as the above equation 1, the transport surface speed of the drive belt F2 in the driven roller G1 is: (1) × (Diameter e + 2t of driven roller G1) / (e + 2t + 2a) · (2), which is a lower speed than the transport speed obtained by Expression 1. Similarly, assuming that the conveying surface speed at the point X of the driven belt G2 is the same as the conveying surface speed S of the driving belt F2, the conveying speed at the point x2 of the pitch line in the driving roller F1 of the driven belt G2 is S × ｛E + 2t + 2 (ta) ａ / (E + 2t) ...
... (3), which is a speed slightly higher than the transport surface speed S. Further, the conveying surface speed of the driven belt G2 at the driven roller G1 is given by (3) × (e + 2t) / (e + 2a) (4) Faster than: (2) <
(4). When the transport path is curved as described above, a speed difference is inevitably generated between the drive belt F2 and the driven belt G2, and the airline boarding pass is sandwiched between transport surfaces having different speeds and is driven. Belt F2 and driven belt G2
Are conveyed while slipping. In addition to these factors, the transport situation of the air boarding pass in the forward and reverse directions depends on the curved state of the transport path, and the transport situation of the air boarding pass presents a complexly different aspect, resulting in a difference in the transport speed of the air boarding pass in the forward and reverse directions. Is the entity.

[0004] As described above, when a speed difference occurs during reciprocating transport of an air boarding pass to be conveyed, magnetic information is read from the air boarding pass during forward transport or magnetic information is written during reverse transport. to, reading and writing the correct magnetic information is that no e rows. First object of the present invention
It is an object of the present invention to provide a forward / reverse bidirectional transport mechanism that can reduce the speed difference between the transport speed of a flexible recording medium during forward transport and the transport speed of a flexible recording medium during reverse transport. A second object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized card reader capable of performing accurate processing of a flexible recording medium in a short time by using the forward / reverse bidirectional transport mechanism.

[0005]

Therefore, according to the present invention, there is provided a driven belt which is driven by a driving source in both forward and reverse directions, and a driven belt which is driven and rotated in contact with the driven belt. A forward / reverse bidirectional transport mechanism for nipping a flexible recording medium between the transport belt and a transport surface of the driven belt, wherein a friction coefficient between a transport surface of the drive belt and a transport surface of the driven belt is determined. I made it different. According to the second aspect of the present invention, the coefficient of friction of the transport surface of the drive belt is set to be larger than the coefficient of friction of the transport surface of the driven belt.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, by making the friction coefficient of the conveyance surface of the drive belt different from the friction coefficient of the conveyance surface of the driven belt, the flexible recording medium sandwiched and conveyed by both belts. Is transported following a belt having a high coefficient of friction. According to the second aspect of the present invention, the friction coefficient of the conveyance surface of the drive belt is set to be larger than the friction coefficient of the conveyance surface of the driven belt, and the flexible recording medium is sandwiched between the two conveyance surfaces and conveyed in both the forward and reverse directions. As a result, as compared with the case where the friction coefficients of both conveying surfaces were the same, the difference in the conveying speed in both the forward and reverse directions was significantly reduced.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First, a description will be given of a flexible recording medium transported by a forward / reverse transport mechanism according to the present invention. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 1 denotes an airline boarding pass (hereinafter, referred to as an "ATB ticket") which is an example of a flexible recording medium. This ATB ticket 1
Is a thin paper material which is made long in the direction of transport of the ticket, and has print data (not shown) such as a departure place and a destination displayed on the front surface thereof, On one side, a magnetic stripe 1a as a magnetic recording layer is provided along the longitudinal direction of the ticket. Data including print data on the front surface is magnetically recorded on the magnetic stripe 1a. The ATB ticket 1 can be divided into a pass ticket 1A to be passed to the passenger at the perforation 1b and a coupon ticket 1B to be collected, and is taken in from the insertion slot 3 of the card reader 2 shown in FIG. The processing is performed.

The card reader 2 is rotationally driven in a clockwise direction as a forward direction indicated by an arrow C and a counterclockwise direction as a reverse direction indicated by an arrow D by a drive motor 4 capable of rotating forward and backward as a drive source. Bidirectional transport mechanism K composed of a driving belt unit 5 and a driven belt unit 6 driven and rotated by the driving belt unit 5, and a shutter 7 provided in the vicinity of the insertion section 3 restricts the entry of the ATB ticket 1. A flap 8 and a magnetic head 9 for reading and writing magnetic information of the ATB ticket 1 are provided. The shutter 7, the flap 8, and the magnetic head 9 are arranged in order from the insertion port 3 toward the discharge port 13.

In the driven belt unit 6, transport rollers 6A, 6A disposed between a pair of frames 10A, 10B are provided.
A driven belt 6C wound around B is pressed downward by rollers 6D and 6E rotatably supported by the frame. A pad roller 15 for applying a predetermined pad pressure to the magnetic head 9 is rotatably disposed between the transport rollers 6D and 6E. The drive belt unit 5 is provided with frames 10A, 10B by a drive shaft 11 and a support shaft 12 at a position opposed to the driven belt unit 6 below.
It is supported and arranged. In the drive belt unit 5, a drive belt 5C in contact with the driven belt 6C have been stretched and the driven roller 5B that is rotatably supported and driven roller 5A fixed to the drive shaft 11 to the support shaft 1 2. Between the driving belt 5C and the driven belt 6C,
The sides are formed by the frames 10A and 10B,
A transport path 14 that communicates with the insertion port 3 and the discharge port 13 is configured. The drive shaft 11 is provided with a belt pulley 5 </ b> D
It is fixed to the part deviated from. A connection belt 4c hung on a drive pulley 4b attached to an output shaft 4a of the drive motor 4 is stretched over the belt pulley 5D.

The magnetic head 9 is a combination head having a function of reading and writing magnetic information.
It is arranged at a position shifted from the drive belt 5C so as to match the position of the magnetic stripe 1a of the ticket B, and faces the transport path 14. The magnetic head 9 is in contact with the pad roller 15 in the transport path 14. The magnetic head 9 reads (reads) magnetic information from the magnetic stripe 1a when the ATB ticket 1 is transported in the card insertion direction indicated by the arrow A, and
When the B ticket 1 is transported in the return direction indicated by the arrow B, writing (writing) of magnetic information is performed.

A frame 10 is provided below the transport roller 6A.
A take-up roller 17 rotatably provided on a support shaft 16 rotatably supported by A and 10B is provided in pressure contact with the belt 6C. The flap 8 is fixed on a support shaft 16 shifted from the driving and driven belts 5C and 6C, and
Is located within. The shutter 7 is fixed to the support shaft 16 so that the protruding end 7a faces the inside of the transport path 14,
It is swingable about the support shaft 16. Shutter 7
The flap 8 is connected to an electromagnetic solenoid (not shown), and is normally urged to a position where it has entered the transport path 14 to close the insertion port 3 and the transport path 14, and the electromagnetic solenoid is driven by a drive signal. And the insertion port 3 and the conveyance path 14 are communicated with each other.

The drive motor 4 is a stepping motor, and is driven to rotate clockwise when the ATB ticket 1 is inserted into the insertion slot 3 and when rereading the magnetic information. Is controlled by control means (not shown) so as to be driven to rotate counterclockwise.

The driving belt 5C and the driven belt 6C are rubber belts having a thickness of about 1 mm, and their contacting surfaces 5Ca and 6Ca are in contact with each other. The tension is given by 6E. The friction coefficient of the transport surface 5Ca of the drive belt is set to be larger than the friction coefficient of the transport surface 6Ca of the driven belt. The friction coefficient of the transport surface 5Ca is set to a friction coefficient at which the ATB ticket 1 can be transported at least.

In the card reader 2 configured as described above, when the ATB ticket 1 is inserted into the insertion slot 3, the drive motor 4 is started by control means (not shown) to drive the belt pulley 5D clockwise. At the same time, an actuator (not shown) is driven to retract the shutter 7 and the flap 8 from the inside of the transport path 14, and the insertion port 3 and the transport path 14 are in communication. When the driving pulley 5D rotates, the driving roller 5A rotates together with the driving shaft 11, so that the driving belt 5C rotates clockwise, and the contacted driven belt 6C rotates counterclockwise.

When the driven belt 6C is driven to rotate, the take-in roller 17 is rotated to transfer the inserted ATB ticket 1 to the belt 6C.
And the take-in roller 17, take it into the card reader 2, hold it between the drive belt 5 </ b> C and the driven belt 6 </ b> C, and
Is transported toward the magnetic head 9. During this transfer, A
The TB ticket 1 is transported mainly following the transport surface 5Ca having a large friction coefficient. In the magnetic head 9, the transported ATB
The magnetic information of the ticket 1 is read, and if there is no abnormality (error) in the reading, the ticket 1 is conveyed from the outlet 13 to a medium branching device having a cutter device (not shown). In the medium branching device, after the ATB ticket 1 is cut by the cutter device, the ATB ticket 1 cut into the pass ticket 1A and the coupon ticket 1B.
For processing.

When a reading error or a need to write magnetic information occurs in the magnetic head 9, the drive motor 4 rotates in the reverse direction and the ATB ticket 1 is conveyed until it passes over the magnetic head 9 in the return direction shown by the arrow B. You. This reverse transport is performed by the magnetic head 9.
When the ATB ticket 1 passes through the magnetic head 9, the drive motor 4 is rotated forward again to convey the ATB ticket 1 in the card insertion direction, and the ATB ticket 1 is read again by the magnetic head 9 (retry). ) And outlet 13
Conveyed toward.

When writing of magnetic information to the ATB ticket 1 is necessary, the magnetic information updated by the magnetic head 9 during reverse transport of the ATB ticket 1 is written to the magnetic stripe 1a. 4 rotates forward and the updated magnetic information is read by the magnetic head 9. Here, if there is no reading error, the sheet is transported to the discharge port 13. If a reading error occurs, the drive motor 4 is again rotated in the reverse direction to transport the ATB ticket 1 once to the insertion port 3 side than the magnetic head 9, and then again. The ATB ticket 1 is conveyed toward the magnetic head 9 by rotating the drive motor 4 in the forward direction, and is read again (retry). If there is no error in the re-reading, the sheet is conveyed to the discharge port 13.

When the transport speed of the ATB ticket 1 transported by the bidirectional transport mechanism K having such a configuration during forward and reverse transport was measured on the magnetic head 9, the results shown in FIG. 2 were obtained. FIG. 2 shows the speed difference of the ATB ticket 1 at the time of forward conveyance and at the time of reverse conveyance. The vertical axis indicates the relative speed (%) of the ATB ticket 1, and the horizontal axis indicates the combination of belts. When the friction coefficient of the transfer surface 5Ca of the drive belt 5C is set to be larger than the friction coefficient of the transfer surface 6Ca of the driven belt 6C as in the present embodiment, the relative speed of the ATB ticket 1 is 0.1% during the forward transfer. At the time of reverse transport, the relative speed of the ATB ticket 1 is 0%, and there is almost no difference between the relative speeds in the forward and reverse directions. On the other hand, when the friction coefficient of the transfer surface 5Ca of the drive belt 5C is equal to the friction coefficient of the transfer surface 6Ca of the driven belt 6C as in the related art, the relative speed of the ATB ticket 1 is 2. 8%, -0.9% during reverse conveyance, and a relative speed difference of about 3.7% between forward and reverse conveyance. Here, the relative speed refers to the actual transport speed of the ATB ticket 1 with respect to the transport reference speed of the ATB ticket 1.

As described above, at least the drive surface 5C of the forward and reverse bidirectional transport mechanism K and the transport surface 5C of the driven belt 6C
a, 6Ca, the friction coefficient of the transfer surface 5Ca is preferably made larger than the friction coefficient of the transfer surface 6Ca, so that the relative speed of the ATB ticket 1 during forward transfer and reverse transfer is reduced. Since the transport speed of the ATB ticket 1 to be transported can be made substantially equal, the transport speed of the transported ATB ticket 1 becomes stable when transported in the card insertion direction indicated by arrow A and when transported in the return direction indicated by arrow B. Therefore, reading and writing of magnetic information by the magnetic head 9 can be performed accurately and stably. In this embodiment, ATB is used as the flexible recording medium.
Although the ticket 1 is used, the present invention is not limited to this, and a flexible recording medium such as a telephone card may be used. Even in this case, the same effect as that of the ATB ticket 1 can be obtained.

[0020]

According to the present invention, since the friction coefficient between the conveyance surface of the drive belt and the conveyance surface of the driven belt is different, the friction coefficient of the conveyance surface of the drive belt is particularly reduced. By setting the relative speed of the drive belt and the transport belt to be larger than in the case of forward transport and reverse transport, the flexible recording medium can be transported in both forward and reverse directions stably. Can be. Furthermore, when the forward / reverse bidirectional transport mechanism is used for a card reader,
Even if the transport path is curved, information can be accurately read and written on the flexible recording medium, so that the medium processing time can be shortened while the size of the card reader is reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a configuration of a forward / reverse bidirectional transport mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing relative speeds of a driving belt and a driven belt in a forward / reverse transport mechanism of the present invention during forward rotation and reverse rotation.

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating an example of a flexible recording medium.

FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating a speed difference between a driving belt and a driven belt.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 flexible recording medium (ATB ticket) 4 drive source (drive motor) 5C drive belt 5Ca drive belt transport surface 6C driven belt 6Ca driven belt transport surface C forward rotation D reverse rotation K forward and reverse bidirectional transport mechanism

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flexible recording medium is transported between a transport surface of a drive belt that is rotationally driven in both forward and reverse directions by a drive source, and a transport surface of a driven belt that is driven to rotate in contact with the drive belt. A forward / reverse transport mechanism for a flexible recording medium for nipping and transporting in both forward and reverse directions, wherein a friction coefficient between a transport surface of the drive belt and a transport surface of the driven belt is different. Forward / reverse transport mechanism for recording media. 2. The forward and reverse bidirectional conveyance of a flexible recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the friction coefficient of the conveyance surface of the drive belt is set to be larger than the friction coefficient of the conveyance surface of the driven belt. mechanism.