JPH0334112A - Cleaning card and head cleaning method for reader/ writer with printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform the cleaning of the magnetic head of a reader/writer and the print head of a printer part simultaneously by forming a stain cleaning part on one plane of a card substrate, forming a grinding layer on the other plane, and attaching a surface/back discrimination mark on part of the substrate. CONSTITUTION:The card substrate 11 of a cleaning card 10a is formed almost in the same size and shape as that of a magnetic card substrate which performs the read and write of magnetic information, or prints a various kinds of information such as the characters and marks of a used amount, a balance amount, and a used date, etc. The surface/back discrimination marks 12 to discriminate the surface and back of the card are attached on both side edge parts of the substrate 11 in a longitudinal direction alternately. Also, the grinding layer 15 to grind metal or dust, etc., attached on the print head provided at the printer of the reader/writer with printer is formed on the other plane of the substrate 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention relates to a cleaning card for a reader/writer device with a printer and a head cleaning method for this device, and particularly relates to a cleaning card for a reader/writer device with a printer, and more particularly to a cleaning card for a reader/writer device with a discharge destruction type printer for magnetic cards.
The present invention relates to a cleaning card for cleaning a magnetic head of a reader/writer unit and a print head of a printer unit included in a writer device, and a head cleaning method using the same.

[Prior Art] As one type of magnetic card, a so-called Pre-Bay Card, in which, for example, the amount spent, the remaining amount, the date of use, etc. is recorded as magnetic information, has been widely used recently.

When using such a magnetic card, there is a reader/writer section that reads, reads, or writes the magnetic information, and various information such as characters and symbols such as the amount used, remaining amount, and date of use are written on the magnetic card. A reader/writer device with a discharge destruction type printer is used, which is equipped with a printer unit for printing.

When a magnetic card is used with such a reader/writer device with a printer, as the frequency of use increases, dirt gradually becomes attached to the magnetic head provided in the reader/writer section.

Furthermore, metal, dust, and the like gradually adhere to the print head of the printer section. This is because the discharge destruction type printer section mentioned above is
Patterns such as letters are obtained by evaporating the conductive layer such as aluminum formed on the printing surface of the magnetic card by electric discharge and exposing the colored layer formed under the layer. Metals, dust, etc. gradually adhere to the print head.

If dirt adheres to the magnetic head, reading of the magnetic information recorded on the magnetic card will occur, making it impossible to obtain accurate information.Furthermore, if metal or dust adheres to the print head, discharge may not occur properly. If this happens, the resolution or sharpness of the print will be weakened and the quality of the print will deteriorate.

Therefore, conventionally, during maintenance, the magnetic head and print head of the reader/writer device have been cleaned using the following method.

First, to clean the magnetic head of the reader/writer section, as shown in FIGS. The cleaning card 3 coated with
The magnetic head was inserted into the writer section and dirt adhering to the magnetic head was wiped off.

In addition, cleaning the print head of the printer section mentioned above is as follows:
Cut a piece of sandpaper for metal polishing to approximately the same size and shape as the above magnetic card, insert it into the printer section in the same way as when printing on a magnetic card, and remove metal and dust that has adhered to the print head. etc. were removed by polishing.

[Invention tries to solve! l! I! By the way, in the conventional head cleaning method for a reader/writer device with a printer, a cleaning card 3 covered with nonwoven fabric or nonwoven paper 2 is inserted into the reader/writer section and the magnetic head is wiped off. Then, in a separate process, a Gion file cut to approximately the same size and shape as the magnetic card was inserted into the printer section, and the print head was polished and cleaned, so the cleaning process was There was a problem in that the maintenance was done twice and the efficiency of the maintenance was lowered.

Furthermore, if the front and back sides of a card-sized file are incorrectly inserted into the reader/writer section and the file surface is run over the magnetic head, there is a problem in that the printing head will be damaged.

The present invention was devised in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to make it possible to clean the magnetic head of the reader/writer section and the print head of the printer section at the same time, thereby reducing maintenance costs. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning card and a head cleaning method for a reader/writer device with a printer, which can improve efficiency and prevent damage to a magnetic head.

(Means for solving !li!fi) In order to achieve the above object, the cleaning card of the reader/writer device with printer of the present invention has a dirt wiping layer on one side of the card board and a dirt wiping layer on the other side. A polishing layer is formed, and a front/back discrimination mark is provided on a part of the card substrate.

Further, the head cleaning method of the present invention includes a reader/writer unit provided with a magnetic head that faces one side of the magnetic card to be inserted and reads or writes magnetic information recorded on the magnetic card; After inserting the cleaning card into a reader/writer device equipped with a printer, which has a printer unit equipped with a print head that prints information such as the amount used, the remaining amount, and the date of use on the other side, The cleaning card detects the front and back discrimination mark given to the card to determine its front and back, and only when the front and back sides of the card are inserted correctly, the card is guided to the reader/writer section, and one side of the card is inserted. The magnetic head is cleaned by wiping it with the dirt wiping layer formed on the surface, and the magnetic head is guided to the printer section, and the print head is polished and cleaned with the polishing layer formed on the other surface. The card is ejected from within the device.

[For production]

According to the present invention, the reader/writer device with a printer is provided with a reader/writer section for reading or writing magnetic information recorded on a magnetic card, and the magnetic card is equipped with a reader/writer section for reading or writing magnetic information recorded on a magnetic card, and the magnetic card is provided with a usage amount, a remaining amount, and a balance amount. In addition to being equipped with a printer unit for printing various information such as characters and symbols such as the date of use, the reader/writer unit is equipped with a printer unit that prints information on one side of the magnetic card that is inserted into the reader/writer device with printer. A magnetic head is provided facing the cleaning card, and a print head is provided on the other surface of the magnetic card in the printer section, and the magnetic head is provided on one surface of the card substrate of the cleaning card of the present invention. A dirt wiping layer is formed on the print head for wiping off dirt adhering to the print head, and a polishing layer is formed on the other surface for polishing metal, dust, etc. adhering to the print head.

When inserting the thus formed cleaning card into a reader/writer device with a printer, align the surface of the card on which the dirt wiping layer is formed with the magnetic head, and align the surface of the card with the polishing layer formed thereon. By correctly inserting the magnetic head and the print head with the front and back sides aligned with the print head, the magnetic head and the print head are cleaned at once as the cleaning card runs, making maintenance highly efficient.

A part of the card board of this cleaning card is given a mark to distinguish the front and back sides, and when the card is inserted, the above mark is detected.If the front and back sides of the card are inserted incorrectly, the polishing layer will cause the card to become magnetic. This can prevent the head from being damaged as described above.

Further, according to the head cleaning method of the present invention using the cleaning card formed as described above, the cleaning card can be attached to the reader/writer device with printer.
After a card is inserted, a front and back discrimination mark given to the card is detected to determine whether the card is front or back, and if the front or back of the card is incorrectly inserted, the card is immediately ejected from the device. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the magnetic hand from being accidentally damaged by the abrasive layer due to incorrect insertion of the front and back sides of the card.

Then, only when the front and back sides of the card are correct, the card is guided to the reader/writer section and also to the printer section.

As a result, the cleaning card travels through the apparatus with its dirt wiping layer aligned with the magnetic head of the reader/writer section and its polishing layer aligned with the print head. Therefore, as the cleaning card runs, the dirt wiping layer wipes off the magnetic head, and the polishing layer polishes the print head, cleaning the magnetic head and print head at once, and performing maintenance. becomes highly efficient.

Thereafter, once cleaning is completed, the cleaning card will be ejected from the device.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, the cleaning card of the present invention will be explained.

FIGS. 1A and 1B show a first embodiment of the cleaning card of the present invention. As shown, the first
Card board 1 of the cleaning card 10a of the embodiment of
1 is formed to have approximately the same size and shape as the card substrate of a magnetic card for reading or writing magnetic information or printing various information such as characters and symbols such as the amount used, remaining amount, and date of use. has been done. This card board 1
1 is formed of, for example, a PET resin substrate.

Front and back discrimination marks 12 for distinguishing between the front and back of the card are provided alternately on both edges in the longitudinal direction of the card base Fill. This front/back discrimination mark 12 is
For example, it is formed by a rectangular notch.

Further, in this embodiment, a bunch hole 1 is provided in a portion near both edges in the longitudinal direction of the card board 11 where the notch 12 is not provided so as to substantially face the notch.
3 is open. This bunch hole 13 is used to control the drive of a pinch roller for moving the cleaning card lOa in a reader/writer device with a printer, which will be described later, and the drive of a print head provided in the printer section. It is used.

Note that the front/back discrimination mark 12 may be formed of a punched hole instead of a notch.

Further, on one surface of the card substrate 11 in which the notch and the bunch holes 13 are formed, there is a plate for wiping off dirt attached to a magnetic head provided in a reader/writer section of a reader/writer device with a printer, which will be described later. Dirt/stain wiping layer 14
is formed. The dirt wiping layer 14 is formed by covering the card substrate 11 with, for example, nonwoven fabric or paper.

On the other surface of the cleaning card board 11, a polishing layer 111J15 is formed for polishing metal, dust, etc. attached to a printing head provided in a printer section of a reader/writer device with a printer, which will be described later. ing. This polishing layer 15 is formed by attaching polishing powder onto the card substrate 11 with an adhesive or the like, or by cutting a sandpaper into the same size and shape as the card substrate and pasting it on the card substrate 11. There is.

Further, FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B) show a second embodiment of the cleaning card of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the cleaning card l of the second embodiment
In Ob, the cleaning card 1 of the first embodiment
Unlike 0a, the above is printed. Bunch hole 1 for head drive control
3 is not opened.

A magnetic recording layer 16 is formed between the card substrate 11 and the stain wiping layer 14, and is capable of recording signals for driving the print head of the printer section. Since the magnetic recording layer 16 has a large capacity for writing information, the number of times the print head runs can be set as appropriate.

Next, the above cleaning card (hereinafter collectively referred to as IO)
The head cleaning method of the present invention using the head cleaning method of the present invention will be described, but first, the reader/writer device with printer will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, a reader/writer device with a printer 1
7, reading magnetic information recorded on a magnetic card;
Alternatively, it is provided with a reader/writer section 18 for writing, and a printer section 19 for printing characters such as the amount spent, the remaining amount, and the date of use on the magnetic card. The reader/writer section 18 is provided closer to the magnetic card insertion slot 20 than the printer section 19. This card insertion slot 20 serves as a card ejection port when a magnetic card is ejected from the reader/writer device 17 with printer.

The reader/writer section 18 is provided with a magnetic head 18a facing one side of the magnetic card inserted into the reader/writer device 17 with printer. in particular,
The magnetic head 18a is provided facing the running path 21 of the card so as to contact the bottom surface of the magnetic card inserted in a substantially horizontal state from below.

Further, the printer section 19 is provided with a printing pad 19a facing the other side of the magnetic card. Specifically, the print head 19a is provided facing the running path 21 of the magnetic card inserted in a substantially horizontal state so as to print from above on the top surface of the card. This print head 19
A discharge destruction type head is adopted, and the conductive layer formed on the printed surface of the magnetic card, such as aluminum, is evaporated by discharge, and the colored layer formed under the layer is exposed. By doing this, character patterns can be obtained. Furthermore, this print head 19a is equipped with a head drive device 19b, which moves the print head 19a forward and backward while facing the card running path 21. This head drive device 19b employs, for example, a motor, cylinder, or other electrically controllable device.

The magnetic card running path 21 includes a plurality of pinch rollers 2 for moving the magnetic card along this path.
2 are rotatably arranged in parallel.

Each of these pinch rollers 22 is equipped with a roller drive device 22a such as a motor, for example.

Further, above the pinch rollers 22, ground rollers 23 are rotatably provided to follow the rotation of the pinch rollers 22 via the magnetic cards so as to face each other. These earth rulers 23 are for bringing the conductive layer formed on the magnetic card to a ground potential.

The pinch roller 22 and the ground roller 23 are provided so that the reader/writer section 18 and the printer section 19 are positioned between the rollers. Specifically, these rollers 22 and 23 are arranged so that when the magnetic head 18a or print head 19a acts on the magnetic card, both ends of the card are temporarily supported by the rollers 22 and 23. It is arranged. In addition, the above print head 1
A platen 24 serving as a printing impression cylinder is rotatably provided between the rollers directly below 9a.

A sensor for detecting the front/back discrimination mark 12 provided on the cleaning card 10 of the present invention described above is located closer to the card insertion slot 20 than the reader/writer section 18 in this reader/writer device tlT with printer. 25
is provided. This sensor 25 employs, for example, a photosensor, and is provided oppositely so as to face the upper and lower surfaces of the cleaning card 10 that is inserted into the device 17 in a substantially horizontal state.

This sensor 25 is connected to a control device 26 formed by a microcomputer, for example, and the sensor 25
Detection signals are now generated manually. Further, this control device 26 is connected to the magnetic head 18a, and the magnetic information recorded on the magnetic recording layer 16 of the cleaning card tab of the second embodiment is input thereto.

Furthermore, this control device 26 includes the head drive device 19b.
and the roller drive device 22a, respectively,
Control signals are output to these to drive and control them.

Note that the arrow X in the figure indicates the direction of insertion of the cleaning card, and the arrow Y indicates the direction of ejection.

The head cleaning method of the present invention using the leaning card 10 and printer-equipped reader/writer device 17 as described above will be explained with reference to FIG.

First, insert the cleaning card 10 of the present invention into the device 17 through the card insertion slot 20 like a normal magnetic card.
0. Immediately after the cleaning card IO is inserted, as shown in FIG. 4(A), a sensor 25 provided near the card insertion slot detects that the card 10 has been inserted at its leading end. When this sensor 25 detects insertion at the tip of the card 10, the detection signal is sent to the control device 26.
Enter. Upon receiving this input signal, the control device 26 controls the roller drive device 22 provided in the pinch roller 22.
Outputs a control signal 31 to drive this in the normal rotation direction M to a.
do. The inserted card 10 is then transferred forward in the insertion direction X. When the sensor 25 does not detect the leading edge of the card 10, the roller drive device 22a does not drive because the detection signal is not input to the control device 26 (
(indicated by reference numeral 32).

Then, the cleaning card 10 is transferred, and the sensor 25 detects the notch formed on the card 10 as the front/back discrimination mark 12.

This detection signal is input to the control device 26, and it is determined 33 whether the card 10 is front or back. If the front and back sides of the card 10 are correct, the roller driving device 22a is rotated in the normal direction to guide the card 10 to the reader/writer section 18. In addition, if the card IO is upside down, the roller drive device 22a is used to move it in the reverse direction N.
A control signal is outputted 34 to drive the drive. As a result, the card IO is ejected 39 from the reader/writer device 17 with printer. In this embodiment, the state in which the cleaning card IO has the correct front and back sides means that the dirt wiping layer 14 of the card 10 is on the bottom surface, and the polishing layer 15 is on the bottom surface.
is located on the top surface.

In this embodiment, the sensor for detecting the card insertion 30 and the sensor for detecting the front and back sides of the card 10 are shared by one sensor 25, but they may be configured as separate sensors. good.

The cleaning system installed in the reader/writer section 18
The card IO is moved by the pinch roller 22 over the magnetic head 18a provided in the reader/writer section 18. At that time, as shown in FIG. 4(B), a dirt wiping layer 1 is formed on the lower surface of the card 10.
4 performs cleaning 35 by wiping off dirt adhering to the magnetic head 18a due to its running movement.

In the process of guiding the card 10 to the reader/writer unit 18, the sensor 25 detects 36 the bunch hole 13 at the rear in the insertion direction of the card 10. When this sensor 25 detects the punched hole 13 at the rear, it manually sends the detection signal to the control device 26 . In response to this input signal, the control device 26 outputs a signal to the head drive device 19b of the print head 19a provided in the printer section 19 to advance the print head F'' 19a toward the card running path 21.

When using the cleaning card lOb of the second embodiment, the magnetic head 18a reads the magnetic information written in the magnetic recording layer 16 in synchronization with the cleaning of the magnetic head 18a. is manually input to the control device 26, and the control device 26 sends a signal to the head drive device 19b of the print head 19a provided in the printer section 19 to advance the print head I9a toward the card running path 21. Output 41.

Thereafter, the cleaning card IO is guided to the printer section 19 by the pinch roller 22.

The cleaning card 10 introduced into this printer section 19 is transferred to the printing card 1 provided in the printer section 19.
It travels and moves by the pinch roller 22 while contacting the roller 9a. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4(C), the polishing layer 15 formed on the upper surface of the card 10 polishes and cleans the metal, dirt, etc. attached to the printing pad 19a due to its running movement.

After cleaning 37 of the print head 19a of the printer section 19, the control device 26 controls the pinch roller 2.
2 is reversely rotated, and the cleaning card 10 is ejected 3B from the printer-equipped reader/writer device 17. Card ejection 38 is repeated by the control device 26 until the cleaned card IO is reliably ejected from the device 17.Furthermore, the control device 26 causes the header drive device 19b to
is driven and controlled to retract the print head 19a upward.

In addition, in a device in which the magnetic card 18a is set to run over the print head 19a of the printer section 19 regardless of whether printing is performed or not, the header driving device 19b may not be controlled by the control device 26 to run on the print head. 19a can be cleaned 37.

In this way, a part of the card substrate 11 of the cleaning card IO of the present invention is provided with a front/back discrimination mark 12 consisting of the above-mentioned notch or punched hole, and the above-mentioned mark 12 is detected when the card is inserted 30. By doing so, if the front and back sides of the card 10 are incorrectly inserted, the device 1
7 is discharged 39 from within. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the magnetic heald 18a from being damaged by the polishing layer 15 formed on the cleaning card IO.

Then, the surface of the cleaning card 10 on which the dirt wiping layer 14 is formed is turned downward to align with the magnetic head 18a, and the surface on which the polishing layer 15 is formed is aligned with the printing pad 19a. By inserting the cleaning card 10 with the upper surface and the front and back sides correctly, as the cleaning card 10 is moved by the pinch roller 22, the magnetic head lea and the print head 19a can be cleaned at once.
5°37, making maintenance more efficient.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the magnetic head of the reader/writer section and the print head of the printer section can be cleaned at the same time, and maintenance efficiency can be improved. This provides an excellent effect of preventing damage to the magnetic head.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the cleaning card of the present invention, (A) is a plan view thereof, (B) is a side view thereof, and FIG. 2 is a second embodiment of the cleaning card of the present invention. An example is shown in which (A) is a plan view thereof, (B) is a side view thereof, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an apparatus used in the head cleaning method of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a head cleaning method of the present invention. The effect of the cleaning method is shown, (A) is a schematic side view of the card detection state, (B) is a schematic side view of the magnetic head cleaning state, (C) is a schematic side view of the print head cleaning state, and FIG. is a flowchart for explaining the head cleaning method of the present invention. FIG. 6 shows a conventional cleaning card, in which (A) is a plan view thereof and (B) is a side view thereof. 10...Cleaning card; 11...Card substrate; 12...Front and back discrimination mark; 14...Dirty wiping layer; 15...Abrasive layer: 17...Reader/writer device with printer; 18...Reader/writer section;
18a...Magnetic helad; 19...Printer section;
19a... Print head; 35... Magnetic head cleaning; 37... Print head cleaning.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A reader with a printer, characterized in that a dirt wiping layer is formed on one side of the card substrate, a polishing layer is formed on the other side, and a mark for distinguishing front and back is provided on a part of the card substrate. Writer device cleaning card. (2) facing one side of the magnetic card to be inserted, a reader/writer section equipped with a magnetic head for reading or writing magnetic information recorded thereon, and facing the other side of the magnetic card; In the method for cleaning the above-mentioned magnetic head and print head of a reader/writer device with a printer, which has a printer unit equipped with a print head for printing information such as the amount used, the remaining amount, and the date of use, the method includes: After inserting a cleaning card into the reader/writer device, the front and back identification marks on the cleaning card are detected to determine whether the card is front or back, and the card is only removed if the front and back sides of the cleaning card are correct. The cleaning card is guided to the reader/writer section, and the magnetic head is wiped and cleaned with the dirt wiping layer formed on one side of the cleaning card, and the magnetic head is guided to the printer section, and the dirt wiping layer formed on the other side of the cleaning card is guided to the printer section. After polishing and cleaning the above print head with an abrasive layer,
A head cleaning method for a reader/writer device with a printer, characterized in that the cleaning card is ejected from within the device.