Reader/writer for non-contact ic card and inter-stand ball lending machine for pachinko corporating the same

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD [Detailed description of the invention]

【0001】

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

The present invention relates to a reader / writer suitable for reading / writing data to a non-contact IC card, and more particularly to a reader / writer in which a card reading / returning / collecting mechanism is devised.

【0002】

[Conventional technology]

Since IC cards include active elements such as CPUs, their security performance is significantly higher than that of magnetic cards. Therefore, IC cards are used as a medium for storing and processing various data. In the end, the data stored in IC cards is being used as a substitute for cash. The use of IC cards as a substitute for cash is spreading to all industries, but in the pachinko industry, for example, it is applied to ball lending machines.

【0003】

At the beginning, pachinko balls were lent out by ball lending machines by inserting cash, but in recent years, prepaid cards have been introduced in consideration of the accounting of pachinko parlors and the convenience of users. Was done. However, since prepaid cards do not have such a high level of security, counterfeit cards have become a social problem. For this reason, the pachinko industry has focused on IC cards with excellent security, and has envisioned switching from prepaid cards to IC cards as the purchasing medium for ball lending machines, and some of them have been put into practical use.

【0004】

Although it is expected that the incidence of fraudulent activity will be significantly reduced by switching to an IC card, if the person who intends to commit fraudulent activity has advanced technology, even if it is an IC card, fraudulent activity Cannot be completely prevented, and new measures are required for this purpose. The applicant considers that most of the causes of fraudulent activity are that the IC card with zero balance is returned to the user, and collects the IC card with zero balance inside the ball lending machine. We have been developing technology and at the same time considering problems when using IC cards.

【0005】

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

As a result of such examination, the problems when using the IC card are divided into the problem of the IC card itself and the problem of the reader / writer of the IC card, and each of them has the following problems. I got the recognition that there is. Regarding the problem of the IC card itself, reading failure due to poor contact or the like can be mentioned. The main cause of poor contact is that water droplets and dirt are attached to the signal transmission / reception terminals whose surface is exposed, and especially in pachinko holes, cigarette smoke and the like also adhere to the card surface, which causes poor contact. Further, there is a problem that the mechanical strength of the card is fragile and the durability against the messy handling of the card in the pachinko hall is insufficient.

【0006】

Regarding the problem of the reader / writer, there are problems regarding the timing of reading the IC card into the reader / writer, the structure for reading the card and the return, and the structure for collecting the used card into the device. First of all, the problem of the timing of efforts is as follows. In a conventional reader / writer, the card is taken into the reader / writer, for example, by sandwiching the front end of the card between a pair of feed rollers provided in the card insertion slot of the reader / writer and at the same time pulling in the card by a predetermined length. Then, the terminal on the reading side is brought into contact with the signal transmission / reception terminal provided on the side surface of the front end of the card, a part of the data in the card is read, and the card is checked. It is difficult to match the timing of reading the data, and it is easy to cause a reading error or malfunction of the pull-in operation. In addition, the mechanism for returning the cards and collecting the used cards into the device is complicated, and the rollers for feeding the cards provided everywhere are easily worn, and there is a problem in durability.

【0007】

When the present inventors considered the means for solving the above problems, they thought that the problem of the former IC card itself could be solved by using a non-contact IC card that has already been known. Regarding the latter problem of reader / writer, we thought that it would be necessary to devise on the premise of using a non-contact IC card as the IC card. The present invention was made based on this consideration. It is a reader / writer that reads and writes non-contact IC cards, has no reading error or mechanical malfunction, has a simple structure, and has troubles in long-term use. The purpose is to provide a reader / writer for non-contact IC cards that does not generate.

【0008】

[Means for solving problems]

In order to solve the above problems, the present inventors basically eliminate a feeding mechanism such as a roller from the reader / writer device, and do not use a drive source for the card loading / unloading operation into the reader / writer. I came up with the idea of performing these actions only by the weight of the card. In designing these capture and collection mechanisms, we decided to make the best use of the properties of non-contact IC cards, that is, the fact that high positioning accuracy is not required when reading data from the card. The present invention, which has been completed based on this idea, has the following configuration.

【0009】

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a card insertion slot having a margin with respect to the card thickness is provided on the front surface, and a card storage space for temporarily accommodating a card inserted from the card insertion slot is provided behind the card insertion slot. A predetermined range from the back position of the card insertion slot at the bottom of the space is composed of an inclined sliding surface that inclines downward toward the back side in the card insertion direction, and the inclined sliding surface guides or guides to the stop position. A non-contact reading means for reading the data stored in the card from the card in the process in a non-contact manner is provided, and the data stored in the card is updated or checked based on the data read by the non-contact reading means, and the card is returned or returned. An operation to a return means for returning a card to the outside of the card storage space through a card insertion slot, or a collection means for opening the bottom of the card storage space and dropping the card downward by its own weight to collect the card. It is characterized in that the command is controlled based on the judgment result of the judgment means.

【0010】

When a card is inserted into the card insertion slot of a reader / writer having such a configuration, the card insertion slot has a margin for the card thickness, so that the card easily passes through the card insertion slot. The card that has passed through the card insertion slot enters the card storage space, slides down the inclined sliding surface forming the bottom of the space by its own weight, and is guided to the stop position. The operating force during this period is only its own weight, and the operating force from a drive source such as a motor is not involved at all. The non-contact reading means reads the data in the card in a non-contact manner with respect to the card that has reached the stop position or is on the way of sliding down the inclined sliding surface. Since it is read out in a non-contact manner, it is not necessary to strictly determine the reading position. When the in-card data is read, the next operation on the card is selected based on the read data. That is, after updating or checking the data stored in the card, if there is a remaining number of data in the card, the card is returned, and if there is no remaining number, the card is collected inside the device. Cards are returned through the card slot. The card is collected by opening the bottom of the card storage space and dropping the card by its own weight.

【0011】

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the inclination angle of the inclined sliding surface is set to 10 ° to 40 ° with respect to the horizon. By setting the tilt angle within such a range, the card can be reliably transferred from the card insertion slot to the card reading position.

【0012】

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a guide groove for guiding the card to be inserted into the card insertion slot is provided on the front side of the card insertion slot, and the front end edge of the guide groove is tilted with the card in the horizontal posture before insertion. An insertion guide guide is attached as a rotation fulcrum to switch to. As a result, the card can be easily inserted into the card insertion slot by aligning the card with the guide groove of the insertion guide and rotating the card with the front end edge of the guide groove as a fulcrum.

【0013】

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the guide groove of the insertion guide guide is inclined at the same angle as the inclined sliding surface and is positioned on an extension line of the inclined sliding surface. In this case, the card set in the guide groove of the insertion guide guide is smoothly guided to the card insertion slot.

【0014】

The invention according to claim 5 uses a rotating lever that reciprocates within a constant angle range as a means for returning the card through the card insertion slot, and allows the rotating lever to accommodate the card in the card accommodating space. It is decided to use a device that is controlled by switching between the storage position to be stored and the discharge position to eject the card to the outside of the card storage space through the card insertion slot.

【0015】

The invention according to claim 6 is such that the opening / closing door provided at the bottom of the card storage space constitutes a part or all of the collection means. In this case, the card that slides down the inclined sliding surface due to its own weight and is guided to the bottom of the card storage space will fall downward as it is due to the opening of the bottom of the storage space.

【0016】

According to claim 7, the opening / closing door also serves as an inclined sliding surface. In this case, the bottom of the card accommodating space itself, which has been reached by sliding down the inclined sliding surface, is a part or all of the inclined sliding surface.

【0017】

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, a large number of ridges are provided on the surface of the inclined sliding surface at regular intervals, and the contact with the card is a point contact. In this case, the frictional resistance between the card and the inclined sliding surface is small, and the card slides smoothly.

【0018】

The inventions according to claim 9 and 10 are characterized in the arrangement position of the determination means. That is, the invention according to claim 9 has the determination means embedded in the member constituting the case member surrounding the card accommodating space, and the invention according to claim 10 has the determination means arranged outside the case member. It is a thing.

【0019】

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, at least a portion of the inner surface of the case member surrounding the card accommodating space in contact with the IC card is roughened. As a result, even if the card is attracted to the case member charged with static electricity, the card does not come into close contact with the inner surface of the case member, so that the card can be surely slid or dropped due to its own weight.

【0020】

The invention according to claim 12 comprises a reader / writer according to the inventions according to claims 1 to 11 to form a pachinko machine for renting balls.

【0021】

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, the details of the present invention will be described based on the illustrated examples. In the following description, a reader / writer incorporated in a pachinko machine for renting balls will be described as an example, but the reader / writer of the present invention will be used when the remaining number of data stored in the card becomes zero. Any other card can be applied as long as the card is collected inside the device and, on the other hand, the card is returned to the user when there is a remaining number. As shown in Fig. 1, the pachinko machine P is installed by being sandwiched between adjacent pachinko machines, and its width is extremely thin to enable dense placement of the pachinko machines. It has become. As shown in FIG. 2, the reader / writer A of the present invention is incorporated in such a stand-up ball lending machine P, and is used by inserting and removing the IC card B from the front. Then, the IC card B inserted in the reader / writer A is taken into the reader / writer A, the stored data is checked, and then the processing is performed in response to the designation of the number of balls purchased by the user. The reader / writer A checks the number of balls data or the amount data recorded in the card at the same time as or after performing such processing, and returns the card B to the user if the remaining number is not zero. On the other hand, when the remaining number becomes zero or it is discovered that the card is an illegal card, as shown in FIG. 3, the card B is dropped downward by its own weight and accumulated at the bottom of the device, for example, and the accumulated amount is increased. When the amount exceeds a certain amount, it is taken out of the device by a transport means C such as a belt conveyor. It should be noted that the card may be taken out to the outside of the device every time the card is dropped without waiting for a certain amount to be accumulated. The operation outline of the reader / writer A is as follows, and its structure is as follows.

【0022】

FIG. 4 shows the mounting posture of the reader / writer A to the platform ball lending machine P, and at the same time, shows the outline of its internal structure, the movement path of the inserted card B, and the posture change. This reader / writer A is incorporated into the platform ball lending machine P in an inclined posture as shown in the figure. Fig. 5 to Fig. 7 show the tilted posture changed to the horizontal posture so that the correspondence between the drawings is clear. Fig. 5 shows the front view, Fig. 6 shows the left side view, and Fig. 7 shows the right side view. There is. Further, FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line II in FIG. 5, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line II-II.

【0023】

The reader / writer A has a card insertion slot 1 having a margin with respect to the card thickness on the front surface thereof, and a card storage space 2 for temporarily accommodating a card inserted from the card insertion slot 1 is provided behind the card insertion slot 1. ing. At the bottom of the card storage space 2, there is an inclined sliding surface 3 that inclines downward toward the back side in the card insertion direction over almost the entire area. Further, the reader / writer A is a non-contact reading means for reading the data stored in the card with respect to the card guided to the position where the card slides down the inclined sliding surface 3 and stops the progress of the card or the card in the process of guidance. (Not shown in FIG. 4) and a judgment means (not shown) for determining the return or collection of the card according to the contents of the data stored in the card read by this means are provided. Further, the reader / writer A also has a return means 4 for returning the card introduced in the card storage space 2 to the outside of the card storage space 2 through the card insertion slot 1, and a collection means 5 for dropping and collecting the card. ing. In this embodiment, the collecting means 5 also serves as a member constituting the inclined sliding surface 3. The details of each of these parts will be described below.

【0024】

The opening width of the card insertion slot 1 gives a margin to the thickness of the card to be inserted. This opening width is preferably set to a width of about 3 mm to 5 mm, and is preferably set to a range of 1.5 to 3 times the thickness of the IC card B. The wide opening makes it easy to insert the card. On the other hand, a wide opening width is disadvantageous in keeping the card in a fixed posture, but since the present invention uses a non-contact reading means that can read in a non-contact manner as a reading means, the fixed posture is strictly determined. No need to maintain. In this embodiment, an insertion guide 6 for guiding the insertion of the card B into the card insertion slot 1 is provided in front of the card insertion slot 1. The insertion guide guide 6 has a guide groove 6a as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. The guide groove 6a is set to have the same width as the opening width of the card insertion slot 1 at least at the connection portion with the card insertion slot 1, but the front end side may have the same width or may be wider. The front end 6b of the guide groove 6a is used as a rotation fulcrum when changing the posture of the card B waiting for insertion in the horizontal posture to the tilted posture. The presence of such an insertion guide guide 6 in front of the card insertion slot 1 makes it extremely easy to insert the card B. Further, if the inclination angle α of the guide groove 6a is set to be the same as that of the inclined sliding surface 3 and the guide groove 6a is positioned on the extension line of the inclined sliding surface 3, the guide of the card B to the card insertion slot 1 becomes more. It will be smooth.

【0025】

Behind the card insertion slot 1, the main body 7 of the reader / writer A whose exterior is the case 8 is arranged. In this embodiment, PVC resin is used as the case 8, and the plate materials having the recesses formed as the card accommodating space 2 after the combination are faced to each other and bonded together to be screwed 8a. Inside the case 8, there is a card storage space 2 regulated by a guide path 9 that has an inclined sliding surface 3 that inclines downward toward the back in the card insertion direction as the bottom and guides the card B in contact with the upper part. It is formed. The guide path 9 is guided by contacting the tip corner of the card B inserted from the card insertion slot 1 to support the change of the posture of the card B to the inclined posture. The inclined sliding surface 3 is for sliding the card B inserted from the card insertion slot 1 on the upper surface thereof to reach the inner part of the main storage space. In this embodiment, the inclined sliding surface 3 is the bottom of the card storage space 2. Almost the entire length is the inclined sliding surface 3. Further, in the present embodiment, the inclined sliding surface 3 is formed by a plate-shaped rotating member having a rotating shaft 5a along the card insertion direction, and the bottom of the accommodating space is opened by rotating the rotating shaft 5a by a predetermined angle. A configuration is adopted in which the card B is dropped downward through the open portion to collect the card B, and the inclined sliding surface 3 also serves as a collection means 5. The inclined sliding surface 3 and the collecting means 5 may be provided separately, but it is preferable to use them in combination from the viewpoint of space saving.

【0026】

A large number of ridges 3a are provided at regular intervals on the surface of the inclined sliding surface 3, which is also the recovery means 5. As a result, the contact between the inclined sliding surface 3 and the card B becomes a point contact, the frictional resistance becomes small, and the sliding becomes smooth. As a means for reducing the frictional resistance, surface treatment on the inclined sliding surface 3 or the use of a slippery material is also selected in a timely manner. As shown in FIG. 11, the inclined sliding surface 3 is composed of one piece of two wing-shaped plates attached to a rotating shaft 5a connected to a stepping motor 5b (not shown) with an angle difference of 90 °. ing. Here, the other plate material 5c provided with an angle difference of 90 ° from the inclined sliding surface 3 is attracted to the inner surface of the case 8 by static electricity on one side of the inner surface of the case 8 as shown in FIGS. Then, the hindrance to the falling motion is prevented by pulling the IC card B away from the surface forcibly attracted. Therefore, the mounting relationship of this plate material 5c changes depending on whether the surface on which the IC card B is easily adsorbed is left or right. Here, a mechanical means is used in which the IC card is attracted to the inner surface of the case 8 by the plate material 5c, but as a measure to prevent the adsorption, for example, roughening the inner surface of the case is also considered.

【0027】

The inclination angle θ of the inclined sliding surface 3 is preferably set in the range of 10 ° to 40 ° with respect to the horizon. The inclination angle is set in consideration of the friction coefficient of the inclined sliding surface 3. If the tilt angle is less than 10 °, card B may stop during the run, while if it exceeds 40 °, the run speed is too fast and it is difficult to use as a device. ..

【0028】

The return means 4 has a function of ejecting the card B, which is stopped at a fixed position in the card storage space 2, to the outside through the card insertion slot 1. The returning means 4 of the illustrated example has a configuration in which the rotating shaft of the stepping motor 4a attached to the outer surface of the case 8 is passed through the case 8 and a rotating lever 4b that reciprocates within a constant angle range is provided at the tip thereof. The operation is controlled by switching between a storage position q for receiving the card B at a fixed position and a discharge position r for discharging the card to the outside of the card storage space through the card insertion slot 1. As the return means 4, other means may be used, for example, a rotary solenoid may be used as a drive source, or a straight rod that advances and retreats may be used instead of the rotary lever.

【0029】

The IC card B, which is inserted from the card insertion slot 1 and once stored in the card storage space 2, is dropped to the bottom of the device by the collecting means 5 or dropped by the returning means 4 after undergoing a predetermined process, or is dropped into the card insertion slot 1 by the returning means 4. It is returned to the user through, but which one to select is determined by reading the data stored in the card by the non-contact reading means and analyzing the read data. If the IC card B to be used is a conventional contact IC card, at least the reading means for reading data from the card among the parts related to these analyzes needs to be in contact with the card at an accurate position. Naturally, the installation position was to be limited, but in the case of using a non-contact IC card as in the present invention, there are few restrictions on the installation position. For example, the non-contact reading means Z and the judgment means for analyzing the data obtained by the non-contact reading means Z and the judgment means for making a judgment can be provided outside the case 8 as shown in FIGS. Good. In particular, when it is embedded in a case component, the reader / writer can be easily thinned, and the reader / writer becomes suitable for the narrow platform ball lending machine P.

【0030】

As the non-contact IC card, one that is magnetically coupled and one that is coupled by radio waves can be adopted. In the present invention, since the IC card B is a non-contact IC card, strict positioning is not required for accommodating the card in the card accommodating space 2.

【0031】

The reader / writer A of this embodiment has the above configuration, and the operation mode thereof will be described as follows with reference to FIGS. 14 to 19. (Fig. 14) The reader / writer is in a standby state to accept card B. Although the reader / writer is in the standby state, mechanical parts such as rollers are not in the standby state because the card is received unlike the conventional reader / writer. In this state, the recovery means 5 is closed. (Fig. 15) Insertion of card B is started. To insert the card B, the lower edge of the card is applied to the front end 6b of the insertion guide guide 6, and the front end 6b is used as a rotation fulcrum to rotate the card B. (Fig. 16) Card B begins to slide along the inclined sliding surface 3. (FIG. 17) The card B stops when its front end hits the rotary lever 4b located at the storage position q. In this state, the card B is located on the inclined sliding surface 3 which is also the recovery means 5 for the entire length. In this stopped state, the non-contact reading means Z reads the data stored in the card. Since the data is read out in a non-contact manner using magnetic coupling or the like, the card is not required to have a high degree of positioning accuracy when reading the data. (Fig. 18) As a result of analyzing the data read by the non-contact reading means Z, if the recovery operation command is output, the recovery means 5 is activated and the card B is collected toward the bottom of the device. The collection is performed by opening the collection means 5, which is also the inclined sliding surface 3, and by dropping the card B from the space opened by the opening. Here, it is simply dropped, but an auxiliary member that guides the fall path may be provided. When the collecting means 5 is opened, the plate material 5c also rotates to separate the IC card B attracted by static electricity on the inner surface of the case 8 and the IC card attracted by static electricity. (Fig. 19) As a result of analyzing the data read by the non-contact reading means Z, if a return operation command is output, the rotation lever 4b, which is the return means 4, is rotated by a predetermined angle to rotate the front end of the card B. Press to push card B out from card slot 1.

【0032】

As a modification of the reader / writer of the present invention, those shown in FIGS. 20, 21, and 22 can be considered. For example, FIG. 20 shows that the insertion guide guide is not provided and the shape of the main body 20 is changed. Further, FIG. 21 shows a case where the card is inserted into the card insertion slot at an angle. Further, FIG. 22 shows a case where the insertion guide guide 46 is attached in the modified example of FIG. 20. In addition to this, various modifications are also considered in the present invention, and it is also considered that, for example, the card insertion posture is a horizontal posture instead of a vertical posture as in the above-described examples and modifications.

【0033】

[Effect of the invention]

The invention according to claim 1 does not mean that the non-contact IC card inserted from the card insertion slot is transferred along the inclined sliding surface to a predetermined position in the card accommodating space by the sliding force due to its own weight. During or after the transfer, the data stored in the card is read using a non-contact reading means, and then when the card is collected, it is dropped by its own weight and collected. A reader / writer with excellent durability that can guarantee reliable operation even when used in a harsh environment or for a long period of time can be obtained with extremely few causes of trouble.

【0034】

As described in claim 2, when the inclination angle of the inclined sliding surface is set to 10 ° to 40 ° with respect to the horizon, the card is transferred more reliably on the inclined sliding surface.

【0035】

As described in claim 3, when an insertion guide guide for guiding the card insertion is provided on the front side of the card insertion slot, the card can be inserted into the card insertion slot more easily.

【0036】

When the opening / closing door also serves as an inclined sliding surface as in the invention of claim 7, the number of parts can be reduced and the size of the device can be reduced.

【0037】

When a large number of ridges are provided on the surface of the inclined sliding surface at regular intervals and the contact with the card is a point contact as in the invention of claim 8, the frictional resistance between the card and the inclined sliding surface becomes small, and the card The gliding will be smooth.

【0038】

According to the invention of claim 9, when the determination means is embedded in the member constituting the case member surrounding the card accommodating space, the device can be made thinner.

【0039】

According to the invention of claim 10, when at least the portion of the inner surface of the case member surrounding the card accommodating space where the IC card contacts is roughened, the IC card is not adsorbed even if static electricity is generated in the case. Can be reliably dropped.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

[Figure 1]

Explanatory drawing showing the arrangement state of the ball rental machine [Figure 2]

Explanatory diagram showing a reader / writer built into a machine for renting balls [Fig. 3]

The schematic diagram which shows the outline of the stand-up ball rental machine which incorporated the reader / writer of this invention.

[Fig. 4]

An outline of the apparatus configuration in one embodiment of the reader / writer of the present invention and an explanatory diagram showing a change in the posture of the IC card. [Fig. 5]

Front view of the reader / writer of the same embodiment in a horizontal position [Fig. 6]

Left side view of reader / writer in the same posture [Fig. 7]

Right side view of the reader / writer in the same posture [Fig. 8]

II sectional view in FIG. [Fig. 9]

II-II sectional view in FIG. [Fig. 10]

Enlarged explanatory view of the insertion guide [Fig. 11]

Perspective view of a member that also serves as an inclined sliding surface and a collecting means [Fig. 12]

Explanatory drawing showing a method of pulling the IC card adsorbed on the inner surface of a case away from the inner surface of a case. [Fig. 13]

Explanatory drawing showing a method of pulling the IC card adsorbed on the inner surface of a case away from the inner surface of a case. [Fig. 14]

Explanatory drawing which shows operation mode of one Example of the reader / writer of this invention [Fig. 15]

Explanatory drawing which shows operation mode of one Example of the reader / writer of this invention [Fig. 16]

Explanatory drawing which shows operation mode of one Example of the reader / writer of this invention [Fig. 17]

Explanatory drawing which shows operation mode of one Example of the reader / writer of this invention [Fig. 18]

Explanatory drawing which shows operation mode of one Example of the reader / writer of this invention [Fig. 19]

Explanatory drawing which shows operation mode of one Example of the reader / writer of this invention [Fig. 20]

Conceptual diagram of a modified example of the reader / writer of the present invention [Fig. 21]

Conceptual diagram of a modified example of the reader / writer of the present invention [Fig. 22]

Conceptual diagram of a modified example of the reader / writer of the present invention [Explanation of symbols]

P stand ball rental machine A Reader / Writer B IC card Z non-contact reading means 1 Card slot 2 Card storage space 3 Inclined gliding surface 4 Return means 5a axis of rotation 5b stepping motor 5c board material 4a stepping motor 4b rotating lever 5 Collection means 6 Insertion guide guide guide groove 6a 7 Main body 8 cases 8a screw stop 9 Guideway q Storage position r Discharge position