JPH0668787B2 - Automatic checkout machine - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention reads the information magnetically recorded on the inserted ticket, completes the settlement of payment based on the comparison result of the electromagnetic information and the reference information, and then collects the ticket, which is not required to be returned to the customer, onboard the aircraft. The present invention relates to an automatic checkout machine configured to do so, and more particularly to an automatic checkout machine having a function of erasing magnetic information of a ticket to be collected at the time of collection.

[Prior art and its drawbacks]

Conventionally, an automatic payment machine, for example, is a ticket that does not need to be returned to a customer (hereinafter referred to as a return ticket), such as a ticket that needs to be returned to the customer (hereinafter referred to as a return ticket) such as a coupon ticket or a commuter ticket that has a remaining number of times After the payment is completed for the recovery ticket), the recovery ticket is dropped and stored in the recovery box from the sorting means without any processing of the magnetic information. Therefore, there is a problem that a staff member takes out a recovery ticket from the recovery box and misuses the validity of the magnetic information to carry out a fraudulent act. In order to prevent such unauthorized use of the collection ticket, it is desired to erase the magnetic information at the time of collecting the winding in the settlement machine. For example, in an automatic ticket gate, a technique for magnetically erasing a collected ticket has already been proposed (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 58-138166). This is the transportation of a ticket between the means for allocating the recovery ticket and the return ticket, and the recovery box for recovering the recovery ticket, with the erasing head for erasing the magnetic recording of the recovery ticket, the erasing means consisting of an electromagnet or a permanent magnet. It is arranged in the vicinity of the mechanism and erases the magnetic recording of the recovery ticket by the magnetic field generated by the erasing means when the recovery ticket passes in the contact or non-contact state with the erasing means. Further, according to such a configuration, it is necessary to provide a transport mechanism (transport roller) for moving and passing the ticket in the magnetic field of the erasing means. However, in the case of an automatic checkout machine which adopts a method of storing a collection ticket in a collection box by free fall, adding a transport mechanism such as the above structure complicates the structure and makes the device It is not realistic because it occupies the installation space inside. Also, when a transport mechanism is provided,
There was a drawback that ticket jams occurred. Further, when the erasing means does not contact the collected ticket, the distance between the collected ticket and the erasing means becomes large as compared with the case where it makes contact, so that the magnetic field strength acting on the magnetic film of the collected ticket is reduced. For,
It could not be said that the magnetic recording could be completely erased.

[Object of the Invention]

In view of the above points, the present invention has a simple configuration when a recovery ticket is stored in a recovery box by free fall, and completely erases the magnetic recording of the recovery ticket without requiring a large installation space in the device. The purpose is to provide an automatic settlement machine that can.

[Examples of the present invention]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of an automatic settlement machine according to the present invention. When a ticket is inserted into the ticket insertion slot 1, an insertion detector (not shown) operates and the drive unit 2 starts based on the output thereof, so that the inserted ticket is conveyed by the conveying units 3 and 4. To be done. The magnetic information recorded on the magnetic surface of the ticket is read by the reading unit 5 provided in the middle of the transport units 3 and 4. The ticket sent from the transport unit 4 is dropped via the chute 6 onto the sorting means 7 provided below the chute 6. The determination unit (not shown) determines the type of ticket whether the ticket is a return ticket or a return ticket based on the magnetic information obtained by the reading unit 5, and determines the magnetic information and the reference information read from the storage unit. Calculate the settlement amount based on.
The calculated settlement amount is displayed by the display section on the customer service side. When the customer inputs the same amount of payment as the displayed amount of payment, an amount determination unit (not shown) determines whether or not the financial condition is satisfied, and outputs a settlement completion signal when the financial condition is satisfied.
A ticket issuing unit (not shown) issues a settlement ticket in response to the settlement completion signal. The sorting means 7 is started by a drive signal generated in response to the settlement completion signal, and the sorting means 7
The tickets that have been waiting above are sorted according to the ticket type determination result, that is, the return ticket is returned toward the return port 8 on the customer service side, and the recovery ticket is dropped toward the recovery box 9. The ticket is released to the return port 8. In the illustrated example, the sorting means 7 is composed of a conveyor belt 7a that traverses below the chute 6 and a reversible motor 7b as a drive unit that rotationally drives the conveyor belt 7a in the returning direction or the collecting direction. The rotation direction of the reversible motor 7b is controlled according to the bill type determination result. However, the sorting means is not limited to the above-described configuration, and has any configuration having a function of operating in response to the settlement completion signal and sorting the ticket passing through the reading unit 5 to the return side or the collection side. Good. In addition, a free-fall passage 10 is provided in the vertical direction, which is connected to the end of the sorting means 7 on the recovery side and introduces a free-fall recovery ticket into the recovery box 9. Further, an electromagnet 11 for erasing the magnetic record of the collected ticket is provided inside the natural fall passage 10. The electromagnet 11 attracts the collected ticket that naturally falls from the collecting end of the sorting means 7 to the magnetic pole surface when energized, and naturally drops the collected ticket that is attracted to the magnetic pole surface when the energization is stopped. The surface almost faces the collection end and the free fall direction of the collection ticket (the vertical falling passage 1
It is provided so as to be inclined with respect to 0). The energization control for the electromagnet 11 is performed by a control unit (not shown). This control means uses either a settlement completion signal indicating that the settlement of the collected tickets has ended, or a drive signal that causes the sorting means 7 to start the operation of sorting the collected tickets to the collection side (hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as collection. In response to a signal), the energization of the electromagnet 11 is started, and the energization is stopped after a lapse of a predetermined time required until the collected ticket is attracted to the magnetic pole surface and the magnetic information is erased. The predetermined time is the time from the generation of the recovery signal to the completion of erasing the magnetic recording of the recovery ticket, and more specifically, the time for the recovery ticket to wait / move on the sorting means 7, This corresponds to the sum of the time required for the collected ticket to reach the magnetic pole surface of the electromagnet 11 from the collecting side end of the sorting means 7 and the time for which the collected ticket is attracted to erase the magnetic recording. These times can be arbitrarily set in advance by design. Therefore, the control means described above can be realized by a logic circuit that receives the recovery signal and can be easily designed. Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. When the customer inserts the return ticket and pays the payment, the return ticket passes through the reading unit 5 and is waited by the sorting means 7, during which the calculation / display of the payment amount, insertion of money, printing of the payment ticket, etc. At the same time, the sorting means 7 is driven to the return side by the return signal, and the waiting return ticket is discharged to the return port 8 together with the settlement ticket. Further, when the customer inserts the collection ticket and makes the payment, after the coin insertion and the payment ticket printing similar to the above, the sorting means 7 is driven to the collection side by the drive signal and the control means responding to the collection signal. This energizes the electromagnet 11. As a result, the recovery ticket separated from the recovery side end of the sorting means 7 falls on the magnetic pole surface of the electromagnet 11 provided in the free fall passage 10. The electromagnet 11 is provided so that its magnetic pole surface has a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the natural falling direction of the recovery ticket. Therefore, the recovery ticket tries to slide downward from above the magnetic pole surface, but since it has a magnetic film,
By being attracted to the magnetic pole surface by the magnetic force of 11, the magnetic information of the collected ticket is instantly and completely erased. After the magnetic information of the collected ticket is erased, the electromagnet 11 is de-energized to release the attraction of the ticket, and the collected ticket is naturally dropped from the inclined electromagnet 11 and collected in the collection box 9. The energization of the electromagnet 11 is stopped after a predetermined time has passed since it was started.
The time required until the magnetic recording is erased is secured by being attracted to the magnetic pole surface of 11. The inclination angle formed by the magnetic pole surface of the electromagnet 11 and the free-falling direction of the collected ticket is such that when the collected ticket that has fallen from the collecting side end is easily attracted to the magnetic pole surface and the attraction is released, It is necessary that the collected ticket has a value that reliably slides and drops from the magnetic pole surface. According to the experiment result of the applicant,
The best result was obtained when the inclination angle was set to about 45 degrees, but the inclination angle can be slightly increased or decreased from 45 degrees within a range that does not interfere with the operation of attracting and dropping the collected ticket. Further, although magnetic information is recorded on the magnetic film of the collected ticket, its magnetization direction is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the ticket. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, since the electromagnet 11 is provided with different poles facing each other in the longitudinal direction of the magnetic pole surface, a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the magnetic pole surface as indicated by an arrow in FIG. A magnetic field line is generated from the N pole toward the S pole.
Therefore, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 3, when the recovery ticket T falls in its longitudinal direction, that is, in a state where the magnetization direction is inclined with respect to the direction of the magnetic force lines, the recovery ticket T has its magnetization. The attraction force acts so that the direction becomes parallel to the magnetic lines of force and becomes stable. Therefore, the recovery ticket T is rotated in a state of being in close contact with the magnetic pole surface until the longitudinal direction thereof is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the magnetic pole surface, as shown by the chain line in the figure. Therefore, since the magnetic lines of force act on the entire area of the magnetic film of the recovery ticket T without being chipped, the magnetic recording of the recovery ticket T is completely erased. Also, if an AC power supply supplied to the automatic checkout machine is used as a power supply for driving the electromagnet 11, not only can a strong magnetic force be easily obtained, but the current supplied to the electromagnet 11 can be controlled relatively easily. can do. Therefore,
By adjusting the magnetic force of the electromagnet 11 to a value commensurate with the T coercive force of the collected ticket, the magnetic information of the collected ticket can be effectively and surely erased. Note that, as shown in FIG. 1, it is desirable that the chute 6 be continued from the transport section 4 to the position where the collecting ticket passes through the collecting side of the sorting means 7 and passes through the electromagnet 11. By doing so, It is possible to prevent the clerk from illegally extracting the recovery ticket inserted into the aircraft before erasing the magnetic information. According to the above-mentioned embodiment, the electromagnet 11 for erasing the magnetic information of the collected ticket may be installed in the free fall passage 10 and does not require a transport mechanism. Therefore, a very narrow installation space is sufficient and the configuration is simple. it can. Further, since the recovery ticket freely falls in the free-fall passage 10, unlike the case where it is transported by the transport mechanism, the ticket does not get jammed. further,
Since the magnetic information of the recovered ticket is erased by being attracted to the magnetic pole surface of the electromagnet 11, the recovered ticket is more completely compared with the case where the ticket is erased by passing it near the demagnetizing portion of the electromagnet or the permanent magnet. The magnetic information is erased.

【The invention's effect】

As described above, the automatic settlement machine of the present invention has the following effects. (1) Since it is not necessary to newly add a transport mechanism for the collected ticket, and only an electromagnet is added in the free fall passage of the collected ticket, the installation space in the device is not occupied, and it is easy and easy. It can be configured simply. (2) The collected ticket is attracted to the electromagnet in the free-fall passage to erase the magnetic recording, then released from the attraction and free-falls to be collected in the collection box. There is no. (3) Since the magnetic information of the collected ticket is erased by being attracted to the magnetic pole surface of the electromagnet, comparison is made when the collected ticket is passed near the demagnetizing portion of the electromagnet or permanent magnet to erase the magnetic information. Then, the magnetic information is erased more completely. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent illegal use of the collection ticket.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of an electromagnet, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the action of magnetic force on a ticket. 1 ... ticket insertion slot, 2 ... driving section, 3,4 ... conveying section, 5 ... reading section, 6 ... shoot, 7 ... sorting means 8 ... return slot, 9 ... collection box 10 ... … Free fall passage, 11 …… Electromagnet, T …… Recovery ticket

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-51-112248 (JP, A) JP-A-57-209581 (JP, A) Actual development: JP-A-58-138166 (JP, U)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. When a ticket provided with a magnetic film for magnetic recording is inserted, the return ticket is distributed to the return side and the recovered ticket is distributed to the recovery side based on the ticket type determination result of the ticket. An automatic settlement machine having (7) and a natural-fall passage (10) communicating with the collection-side end of the sorting means (7) and introducing the naturally-falling collection ticket into the collection box (9), Electromagnet (11) provided in the free fall passage (10)
And a control means for controlling the energization of the electromagnet (11). When the electromagnet (11) is energized, the recovery ticket that naturally falls from the recovery side end is attracted to the magnetic pole surface. , When the energization is stopped, the magnetic pole surface substantially faces the recovery side end portion and is inclined with respect to the free falling direction of the recovery ticket so that the recovery ticket adsorbed on the magnetic pole surface is naturally dropped. The control means is provided as described above, the control means is a settlement completion signal indicating that the settlement of the collected tickets is finished, or a drive signal for causing the sorting means (7, 7a) to start the operation of sorting the collected tickets to the collecting side. In response to any of the above, the energization of the electromagnet (11) is started, and the energization is stopped after the elapse of a predetermined time required until the collected ticket is attracted to the magnetic pole surface and the magnetic information is erased. What to do is an automatic payment machine characterized by .