JP3700525B2 - Card reader - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a card reader that transports a card transport path in order to process a magnetic card or an IC card, and more particularly, a card formed of a lower case and an upper case pivotally supported by the lower case. The present invention relates to a card reader that can freely open and close a conveyance path.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general, in this type of card reader, it is necessary to remove the card when the card is jammed in the card transport path, or it is necessary to wipe off the dirt attached to the magnetic head provided in the card transport path, For this reason, a structure that can open the card transport path is required. An engaging means is provided between the lower case and the upper case forming the card transport path in order to keep the distance in the thickness direction of the card transport path constant when the card transport path is closed. Japanese Patent No. 2976093 discloses a card reader to which this type of card transport path is applied.
[0003]
What is disclosed here is composed of a lower case and an upper case pivotally supported at the rear end of the lower case. A card transport path is formed by making the upper case face the lower case, and the upper case is formed. The card transport path is opened by rotating the case so as to be separated from the lower case. An insertion port member provided with an engagement hole is fixed to the front end portion of the lower case, and an operation member supported in a swingable manner is moved to the front end portion of the upper case in conjunction with the operation member. A pin engaged with the engagement hole and an urging means for urging the operation member in a direction to engage the pin with the engagement hole are provided. When the card conveying path is opened from the state where the pin is inserted into the engaging hole and the card conveying path is closed by the urging force of the urging means, the operation member is rotated against the urging force of the urging means. Operate and remove the pin from the engagement hole.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional card reader described above, since the operation member is configured to swing, the operation member protrudes from the upper surface of the upper case. Therefore, an operation space of the operation member is provided on the upper surface side of the upper case. I needed it. In addition, since the pin is moved back and forth in conjunction with the swinging motion of the operation member, the card insertion member must be provided with an insertion hole into which the pin is engaged. I was trying. For this reason, not only the apparatus becomes large in the front-rear direction, but also the structure is complicated in order to swing the operation member and slide the pin in conjunction therewith.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a card reader having a simple structure while reducing the size of the apparatus.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
To achieve this object, the present invention includes a lower case having a pair of side plates and a bottom plate facing each other, and a pair of side plates and a bottom plate that are pivotally supported on the rear end side of the lower case and face each other. It consists of an upper case. By engaging the upper case between both side plates of the lower case, a card transport path is formed between the bottom plates of both cases, and the upper case is rotated so as to be separated from the lower case. In the card reader in which the card transport path is opened by engaging the upper case between the both side plates of the lower case, an engaging portion that fits into the side plate of the upper case is provided in the lower case. side plates, provided with a disengageably engaging member to said upper case to the engaging portion, the operating portion to the engaging member one To provided, in which the engaging member together with the operating unit accommodated in the space sandwiched by both side plates of the upper case, and was movably supported in the horizontal direction.
Therefore, since the member with which the engaging member of the upper case engages is directly provided in the lower case, it is not necessary to provide it as a separate member.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a state in which a card transport path is opened in a card reader according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the lower case. FIG. 3 shows the same upper case. FIG. 3A is a plan view, FIG. 3B is a sectional view taken along line III (b) -III (b) in FIG. 3A, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III (c) -III (c) in FIG. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the main part showing the operation of closing the card transport path. FIG. 4 (a) shows a state in which the card transport path has started to be closed, and FIG. FIG. 4C shows a state where the engaging member starts moving, and FIG. 4D shows a state where the card transport path is closed. FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the main part showing the operation for opening the card transport path. FIG. 5 (a) shows a state in which the card transport path is closed, and FIG. (C) shows a state in which the card transport path is opened.
[0009]
In FIG. 1, a card reader generally indicated by reference numeral 1 is composed of a lower case 2 and an upper case 3 both formed of plastic. 1 and 2, the lower case 2 includes a rear plate 10, three side plates 11, 12, and 13 projecting from both side ends and the center of the rear plate 10 so as to face each other. 12 and the partition plate 14 as a bottom plate that partitions the space formed by the rear plate 10 up and down.
[0010]
Reference numeral 15 denotes a storage space surrounded by the rear plate 10 and the side plates 11 and 12, and a motor 17 driven in the forward and reverse directions is fixed to the support plate 16 spanned between the side plates 11 and 12. ing. A worm 18 is attached to the motor shaft of the motor 17, and a worm wheel 19 that meshes with the worm 18 is attached to a shaft 20 that is rotatably supported between the side plates 11 and 12.
[0011]
Reference numeral 22 denotes an engaging recess surrounded by the rear plate 10, the side plates 12 and 13, and the partition plate 14. The upper and front sides are open, and the upper case 3 is engaged in the engaging recess 22. The partition plate 14 is provided with an L-shaped window 23, and the side plates 12, 13 are provided with a pair of protrusions 24, 24 that are opposed to each other. An engaging surface 24a extending in the horizontal direction is formed. Reference numeral 25 denotes a magnetic head fixed to the side plate 13, 26 denotes a driving roller attached to a protruding end protruding from the side plate 12 of the shaft 20, and 27 denotes a shaft 28 supported on the side plate 12 to be rotatably supported. A driven roller 29 is a conveying belt stretched between the driving roller 26 and the driven roller 27. The magnetic head 25, the rollers 26 and 27, and the drive belt 29 are positioned below the partition plate 14, and the upper surface of the magnetic head 25 and the upper surface of the drive belt 29 face the partition plate 14 from the window 23. Reference numeral 30 denotes a bottom plate that covers the entire lower surface of the lower case 2, and the upper surface of the lower case 2 is covered with an upper plate (not shown) only above the storage space 15.
[0012]
Next, the upper case 3 will be described with reference to FIG.
The upper case 3 is integrally formed by a bottom plate 31 and a front plate 32, side plates 33 and 34, and a rear plate 35 erected on the edge of the bottom plate 31 so as to surround the bottom plate 31. The outer dimension between the side plates 33 and 34 is formed to be slightly smaller than the inner dimension between the side plates 12 and 13 of the lower case 2, and the upper case 3 is formed in the engaging recess 22 of the lower case 2. It is formed so that it can be engaged.
[0013]
As shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C and FIG. 1, both side plates 33 and 34 are provided with substantially inverted U-shaped insertion holes 33 a and 34 a that are open at the lower ends so as to face each other. Yes. In FIG. 3A, reference numeral 40 denotes a touch roller that is pressed against the magnetic head 25 described above, and is rotatably supported by a shaft 41 supported by a shaft support portion (not shown) of the side plate 34 and the bottom plate 31. ing. The lower end portion of the touch roller 40 is exposed below the bottom plate 31 from the window 44 formed in the bottom plate 31 by the torsional moment of the torsion coil spring 43 wound around the shaft 42 supported on the side plate 34. .
[0014]
Reference numerals 45 and 45 denote pinch rollers, which are arranged in the card conveying direction, that is, in the direction of the arrow AB in the figure, and are attached to the shafts 46 and 46 supported by shaft support portions (not shown) of the side plate 33 and the bottom plate 31. It is supported rotatably. A driven belt 48 is stretched between the pinch rollers 45, 45, and the lower side of the driven belt 48 is moved from the window 49 formed in the bottom plate 31 by the urging force of the plate springs 47, 47. It is exposed downward.
[0015]
3A and 3C, on the bottom plate 31, three protruding strips 52 are provided so as to extend in the direction of the arrow AB, and a stopper 53 and a spring retaining piece are provided. 54 protrudes. The upper opening of the upper case 3 is covered with a cover 56, and the cover 56 is provided with an operation hole 57 having a U shape in plan view. The upper case 3 is pivotally supported at its rear end portion via a shaft 58 that is horizontally mounted between the side plates 12 and 13 of the lower case 2. As shown in FIG. 4A, by inserting the upper case 3 between the side plates 12 and 13 of the lower case 2, a card insertion slot is formed by the partition plate 14 of the lower case 2 and the bottom plate 31 of the upper case 3. A card transport path 60 having 61 is formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 5C, the upper case 3 is rotated counterclockwise in the drawing with the shaft 58 as the center of rotation, and the bottom plate 31 is separated from the partition plate 14, thereby the card transport path 60. Is released.
[0016]
Next, the engaging member 65, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIG.
The engaging member 65 is opposed to the arm portion 57 via a substantially rectangular parallelepiped main body 66, an arm portion 67 provided on one side of the main body 66, and a connecting portion 68 on the other side. It is integrally formed by the arm part 69 provided in the. As shown in FIG. 5C, guide grooves 70 and 71 are provided in the lower portion of the main body 66 and the lower portion of the connecting portion 68 so as to be fitted to the guide protrusions 52 of the bottom plate 31 of the upper case 3. Is provided with an operating portion 72 extending in a direction orthogonal to the arrow AB direction. Engaging portions 73 and 73 corresponding to the protrusions 24 and 24 of the lower case 2 are provided at the ends of the pair of arm portions 67 and 69 in the arrow B direction. Engagement surfaces 73a and 73a extending in the horizontal direction to be engaged with the engagement surfaces 24a and 24a are formed on the upper end surfaces of the engagement portions 73 and 73, and the front end surfaces are formed to be inclined. Sliding contact surfaces 73b and 73b are formed.
[0017]
The connecting portion 68 of the engaging member 65 having such a structure is positioned below the driven belt 48, and the guide grooves 70 and 71 are fitted into the convex body 52 of the upper case 3, whereby the engaging member 65 is The ridge body 52 is slidably supported on the bottom plate 31 so as to be guided in the direction of the arrow AB. A tension coil spring 75 is stretched between the spring retaining piece 54 of the upper case 3 and a spring retaining portion (not shown) of the engaging member 65, and the engaging member 65 is pulled in the direction of arrow B. The main body 66 is locked to the stopper 53. The operation portion 72 of the engaging member 65 in such a state is fitted into the operation hole 57 of the cover 56 as shown in FIG. 3B, and the upper end of the operation portion 72 is the same as the surface of the cover 56. It is positioned at the surface position and does not protrude from the cover 56.
[0018]
In such a configuration, in order to engage the upper case 3 into the engaging recess 22 of the lower case 2, the upper case 3 is rotated clockwise from the state shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), the projections 24, 24 of the side plates 12, 13 of the lower case 2 are fitted into the openings of the fitting holes 33a, 34a (the fitting hole 34a is not shown) of the upper case 3. To do. Accordingly, the projections 24 and 24 are fitted into the side plates 33 and 34 of the upper case 3 through the fitting holes 33a and 34a, and the projection 24 is an engagement portion 73 of the engagement member 65 as shown in FIG. Is engaged with the sliding contact surface 73b.
[0019]
Further, when the upper case 3 is rotated in the clockwise direction, as shown in FIG. 5C, the sliding contact surface 73b of the engaging portion 73 that engages with the protrusion 24 is formed so as to be inclined. The engaging member 65 moves in the direction of arrow A in the figure against the tensile force of the tension coil spring 75. As shown in FIG. 4D, when the engagement surface 73 a of the engagement portion 73 corresponds to the engagement surface 24 a of the protrusion 24, the engagement member 65 moves in the direction of arrow B by the tensile force of the tension coil spring 75. The engaging surface 73a of the engaging portion 73 engages with the engaging surface 24a of the protrusion 24.
[0020]
Accordingly, the front end portion of the upper case 3 is restricted from rotating counterclockwise in the figure, so that a card transport path 60 is formed between the bottom plate 31 of the upper case 3 and the partition plate 14 of the lower case 2. The driven belt 48 contacts the drive belt 29 in FIG. In this state, when the magnetic card 80 is inserted from the card insertion slot 61, the motor 17 is driven in the forward direction in FIG. 2, so that the rotation of the worm 18 mounted on the motor shaft causes the worm wheel 19 and the shaft 20 to rotate. And the drive belt 29 travels in the direction of arrow A.
[0021]
Since the driven belt 48 that contacts the drive belt 29 also follows and travels in the same direction, the magnetic card 80 inserted into the card transport path 60 is sandwiched between the belts 29 and 48 and transported in the direction of arrow A. Magnetic data is processed by the magnetic head 25. When the processing is completed, the motor 17 is driven in the reverse direction, and both belts 29 and 48 travel in the direction of arrow B. Therefore, the magnetic card 80 is transported along the card transport path 60 in the direction of arrow B and ejected from the card insertion slot 61. Is done.
[0022]
Here, when the magnetic head 25 needs to be cleaned or when the card is jammed in the card transport path 60, the operation portion 72 of the engaging member 65 is pulled as shown in FIG. The coil spring 75 is moved in the direction of arrow A in the drawing against the tensile force of the coil spring 75. As shown in FIG. 7B, the engagement between the engagement surface 73a of the engagement portion 73 of the engagement member 65 and the engagement surface 24a of the protrusion 24 is released. As shown in c), the card transport path 60 is opened by rotating the front end of the upper case 3 counterclockwise in the figure.
[0023]
In this manner, the protrusions 24 and 24 that engage with the engaging portion 73 of the engaging member 65 project from the side plates 12 and 13 of the lower case 2, and these protrusions 24 and 24 are connected to the side plates 33 and 34 of the upper case 3. Since the fitting holes 33a and 34a are inserted into the side plates 33 and 34, a separate member for engaging with the engaging member as in the prior art is not required. Therefore, the number of parts is reduced, and another member is not attached to the device, so that the size of the device can be reduced.
[0024]
In addition, the engaging member 65 is supported so as to be movable in the horizontal direction, and the upper end surface of the operating portion 72 of the engaging portion 65 is positioned at the same surface position as the surface of the cover 56 and is not protruded from the cover 56. It is not necessary to provide an operation space for the operation unit 72 above the apparatus, and thus the apparatus can be thinned. Further, since the engaging member 65 is integrally formed with the operating portion 72 and the engaging portion 73 that engages with the protrusion 24, the number of parts can be minimized, and the number of parts can be reduced. At the same time, the movement of the engaging member 65 is set in the linear direction, thereby simplifying the structure.
[0025]
The upper end surface of the operation portion 72 of the engaging member 65 is set to the same height as the surface of the cover 56 of the upper case 3, but it may be positioned lower than the surface of the cover 56. It does not have to protrude beyond the surface. Further, although the card processed by the card reader 1 is the magnetic card 80, it can be applied to various cards such as an IC card.
[0026]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, the number of parts is reduced and the size can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a state in which a card transport path is opened in a card reader according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of a lower case in the card reader according to the present invention.
3A and 3B show an upper case of the card reader according to the present invention, in which FIG. 3A is a plan view, FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line III (b) -III (b) in FIG. FIG. 3C is a sectional view taken along line III (c) -III (c) in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the main part showing the operation of closing the card transport path in the card reader according to the present invention. FIG. 4 (a) shows a state in which the card transport path has started to be closed, and FIG. Shows a state in which the protrusion starts to engage with the engaging portion, FIG. 10C shows a state in which the engaging member starts to move, and FIG. 9D shows a state in which the card transport path is closed.
FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of the main part showing the operation of opening the card transport path in the card reader according to the present invention. FIG. 5 (a) shows a state in which the card transport path is closed, and FIG. Shows a state in which the engagement member is moved and the engagement with the protrusion is released, and FIG. 5C shows a state in which the card transport path is opened.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Card reader, 2 ... Lower case, 3 ... Upper case, 12, 13 ... Side plate, 14 ... Partition plate, 24 ... Projection, 31 ... Bottom plate, 33, 34 ... Side plate, 33a, 34a ... Insertion hole, 65 ... Engagement Joint member 72 ... operation part 73 ... engagement part 73a ... engagement surface 73b ... sliding surface 80 ... magnetic card.

Claims (1)

A lower case having a pair of side plates and a bottom plate facing each other, and an upper case pivotally supported on the rear end side of the lower case and having a pair of side plates and a bottom plate facing each other, the upper case being the lower case A card transport path is formed between the bottom plates of both cases by engaging between both side plates of the case, and the card transport path is opened by rotating the upper case so as to be separated from the lower case. In the leader, by engaging the upper case between both side plates of the lower case, an engagement portion that fits into the side plate of the upper case is provided on the side plate of the lower case, and the engagement portion can be freely engaged and disengaged. A simple engaging member is provided in the upper case, and an operating portion is provided integrally with the engaging member, and the engaging member is connected to the operating portion. The housing sandwiched by space by both sides plates of the upper case, and a card reader, characterized in that the movably supported in the horizontal direction also.

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