JPH0312872A - Card reader - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a card reader used in public telephones and the like.

[Prior Art] In recent years, failure diagnosis systems have been developed that diagnose failures in devices installed in remote locations by sending instructions from a central location to the devices. With this fault diagnosis system, it is possible to know whether or not devices at a plurality of remote locations are operating normally while being located at the central location.

The devices include card readers installed in public telephones.

This card reader performs card processing such as reading and writing on a magnetic card using a magnetic head.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, conventional failure diagnosis systems can only perform static diagnosis. Therefore, even in a card reader, only static characteristics such as sensor operation can be diagnosed. However, since the card reader's main purpose is to read and write magnetic cards, the dynamic characteristics of card reading and writing cannot be diagnosed, and the fault diagnosis system described above cannot be completed. There was a problem.

In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a card reader that can self-diagnose dynamic characteristics.
The purpose of this is to enable failure diagnosis of the card reader at a central location located remote from the card reader.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the card reader of the present invention includes at least a card conveyance path through which cards are conveyed, and a head provided facing the card conveyance path for reading or writing card information. A single diagnostic card is sent onto a conveyance path of the card reader by receiving a diagnostic command from the outside, and information on the diagnostic card conveyed on the card conveyance path by the head is read. The device is characterized in that it includes a determination function unit that determines whether writing is normal or not and sends the diagnosis result to the outside.

[For use] According to the above configuration, the diagnostic card is transported onto the card transport path of the card reader simply by receiving a diagnostic command from the outside, the head performs reading and writing, and the judgment function section determines whether the reading and writing are normal. It is determined whether there is or not. This diagnostic card is used only during diagnostic operation, and each diagnosis is performed using the same diagnostic card.
It is possible to accurately judge whether or not a failure has occurred in reading and writing of a card reader without being affected by the card characteristics of each card.

Furthermore, since the diagnostic results are sent to the outside, by setting the part that sends the diagnostic command to the center, it is possible to obtain read/write characteristics of multiple card reader locations with only one central location.

[Example] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a card reader of the present invention.

This card reader is installed in a public telephone (not shown) and performs reading and writing processing on a magnetic card 1, which is a card having frequency information.

When the magnetic card 1 is inserted from the insertion slot 2, it moves along the card transport path K. The card conveyance path includes a conveyor belt 3.4 whose driving source is a motor (not shown). A magnetic head 5 as a head for information input/output is provided facing the card transport path K, and performs the above-mentioned reading and writing processing on the magnetic card 1 being transported. Note that while the magnetic card 1 is being conveyed in one direction, only reading or writing can be performed, so the magnetic head 5 is provided at the center of the card conveyance path, and at the same time has a length twice the length of the magnetic card 1.

10 is a diagnostic card, and the magnetic card 1
It performs magnetic recording similar to that of , and is made of a flexible material.

This diagnostic card 10 is always evacuated to an evacuation path T provided separately from the card transport path.

The evacuation path T is connected to one end of the card transport path, and
It has a curved shape within the card reader housing 13.

Then, the feed roller 15 is 1. It is disposed in the evacuation path T and near the card transport path, and is driven by the drive motor 16 to send the diagnostic card IO upward onto the card transport path or perform the above-mentioned evacuation operation.

Further, 20 is a processing section which is provided outside the card reader for convenience in FIG. 1, but is actually provided inside the card reader. The processing section 20 performs card processing on the magnetic card 1, which will be described later, and has a diagnostic control section 21 and a determination function section 22. The diagnostic control unit 21 is activated by a diagnostic command signal S1 sent from the center, which is a location away from the location where the card reader is installed, and controls a self-diagnosis operation, which will be described later.

Next, card processing using the normal magnetic card 1 will be explained.

The inserted magnetic card 1 is moved along the card transport path in six directions, while the magnetic head 5 reads the power information, and at the same time activates the telephone circuit. In the talking state, the magnetic card 1 is located at the back of the card transport path, and the frequency change caused by the call is rewritten by the magnetic head 5 when the magnetic card 1 is moved in the direction B, and then transferred to the card transport path. After being conveyed to the front side, it is again moved in six directions, and it is checked whether the writing has been performed normally, and then it is conveyed in the B direction and discharged to the outside.

Then, whether or not the reading and writing processes have been performed normally is determined by a determination function section 22 provided in a processing section (not shown) that processes information of the magnetic head 5. It is configured to determine the

Next, the self-diagnosis operation will be explained based on flowchart 1- in FIG. 2. When a diagnosis command signal S1 is received from an external source such as the center, the diagnosis control section 21 is activated and takes charge of the following control (SPI).

First, during self-diagnosis, loading of the magnetic card 1 is temporarily stopped (SF2).

Then, the drive motor 16 is driven to release the feed roller 1.
5, the diagnostic card IO is sent upward from the evacuation path T portion to the card transport path (SF3).

At this time, the conveyor belt 3.4 operates simultaneously to move the diagnostic card IO in the direction B in FIG.
The information is read by the magnetic head 5. Diagnostic card 1
The information of 0 is sent to the determination function section 22. Since this diagnostic card 10 is normal and the same for each self-diagnosis, the judgment function unit 22 determines the dynamic characteristics of the diagnostic card 10 when the magnetic head 5 and the conveyor belt 3.4 are in operation. It will be possible to diagnose.

Here, if the magnetic head 5 and the conveyor belt 3.4 operate normally, the determination function unit 22 can determine that the reading state in the B direction and the writing state in the six directions are normal (S
F4), send out the diagnosis normal signal S2 as the diagnosis result to the center which is the outside 5P5), reverse the delivery roller 15 and store the diagnostic card 10 in the evacuation path T5P6),
The self-diagnosis operation ends (SF3).

However, the wear of the magnetic head 5 and the conveyance belt 3
．． 4 or any part of the motor that drives the transport bell 1-3.4 fails, the judgment function section 22 will not be able to perform the above-mentioned normal card processing at the time of reading or writing (SF3), and the diagnosis will be made as a result of the diagnosis. Abnormal signal S3
is sent to the center (SF3). This allows the central office to know that a dynamic part of the card reader has broken down, and to perform maintenance and repair.

Thus, the dynamic characteristics of a typical card reader are, for example, 1
It took a lot of effort to check whether each magnetic card 1 was normal or not due to the influence of the magnetic characteristics of each magnetic card 1.
According to the present invention, since the self-diagnosis is performed using only a single normal diagnostic card 10, the dynamic characteristics of the quadrilateral can be grasped each time a self-diagnosis is instructed.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the diagnostic card 10 was provided inside the card reader housing 13 was explained.
As shown in FIG. 3, the diagnostic card 10 may be held in a straight line outside the card reader housing 13 in the retracted state. In this case, the retract path T, drive motor 16, and delivery roller 15 are Although it is sufficient to provide the card reader outside the card reader, it must be provided inside the public telephone or the like where the card reader is installed.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the card reader of the present invention, it is possible to self-diagnose its own reading and writing characteristics, and furthermore, if this self-diagnosis is commanded at a remote central location, the self-diagnosis results can be obtained at the central location. I can do it.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a card reader of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a self-diagnosis operation of the card reader, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention. ■...Magnetic card, 3.4...Transport belt, 5...
・Magnetic head, IO...Diagnostic card, 13...Card reader housing, 15...Feeding roller, 16.-
- Drive motor, 20... Processing section, 21... Diagnosis control section, 22... Judgment function section, K... Card transport path, T
...Evacuation path, Sl...Diagnosis command signal, S2...Diagnosis normal signal, S3...Diagnosis abnormal signal. patent applicant

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A card reader equipped with at least a card transport path through which cards are transported and a head that is provided facing the card transport path and reads or writes card information; A single diagnostic card sent out onto the conveyance path of A card reader characterized by comprising a determination function unit that sends data to the outside.