Abstract: A card reader structured to perform processing on a card includes a main body part, an insertion port which is opened in the main body part and into which the card is inserted, a conveyance passage which is provided in an inside of the main body part and in which the card having been inserted is conveyed, a drive mechanism structured to convey the card in the conveyance passage, a plurality of sensors which detect insertion of the card into the insertion port and a state of conveyance of the card in the conveyance passage, and a control part which monitors state transitions of detected results of the plurality of the sensors for the card and determines that a foreign matter has been inserted into the card reader when the control part detects that a state transition is generated in a mode which is different from a predetermined state transition.

Abstract: A card reader structured to perform processing on a card includes a main body part, an insertion port which is opened in the main body part and into which the card is inserted, a conveyance passage which is provided in an inside of the main body part and in which the card having been inserted is conveyed, a drive mechanism structured to convey the card in the conveyance passage, a plurality of sensors which detect insertion of the card into the insertion port and a state of conveyance of the card in the conveyance passage, and a control part which monitors state transitions of detected results of the plurality of the sensors for the card and determines that a foreign matter has been inserted into the card reader when the control part detects that a state transition is generated in a mode which is different from a predetermined state transition.

Abstract: A card reader for use with a card having an integrated circuit (IC) chip may include a magnetic head configured to read magnetic data on the card; an IC sensor configured to read and write IC data from and to the IC chip on the card; a magnetic data discrimination unit configured to determine the presence of the magnetic data on the card according to whether or not the magnetic data has been read by the magnetic head when the inserted card has been transported to a rear side from a leading end up to a predetermined position; and an IC reading controller configured to, if the magnetic data discrimination unit determines that the magnetic data is not present on the card, perform control to transport the card to a front side and control the IC sensor to read the IC data on the IC chip.

Abstract: A card reader may include a main body part having a conveyance path; a first card detection mechanism disposed upstream of the main body part; a second card detection mechanism disposed in the main body part at a distance less than a length of the card from the first card detection mechanism; a shutter member disposed between the first and second card detection mechanisms; a shutter state detector; and a control unit. The control unit may be structured to close the shutter member when an object is detected by the second card detection mechanism after being detected by the first card detection mechanism, and then the inserted object is not detected by the second card detection mechanism while the inserted object is not detected by the first card detection mechanism; and detect that an object other than the card has been inserted when the shutter member close after the control.

Abstract: A card reader for use with a card, the card reader may include a magnetic detector to detect magnetism from the card inserted into an insertion port; a main body part including a card conveyance path; and a card detection sensor structured to detect a tip end of the card. The magnetic detector and the card detection sensor may be disposed at a distance less than a length of the card in the insertion direction. The card reader may further include a control unit that monitors magnetism detected by the magnetic detector when the card detection sensor detects a tip end of an insert inserted into the insertion port, and detects that an object other than the card has been inserted when a movement distance of the insert in a period in which the magnetism is undetected by the magnetic detector is a predetermined value or more.

Abstract: A method for control of a card reader is provided. A control unit of a card reader performs an IC contact holding step for continuously energizing a solenoid to press an IC contact block against a card, and a holding voltage lowering step in which a state in which the IC contact block is pressed against the card is kept by performing chopper control of repeatedly turning on and off energization to the solenoid. The control unit performs the chopper control with a duty cycle being lowered stepwise. A duty cycle one stage before a duty cycle that is first determined to be a duty cycle in which the IC contact block is not held in a spring contact position (that is, a sensor is turned off) is stored in a storage unit. Thereafter, chopper control is performed by using the duty cycle stored in the storage unit.

Abstract: A card reader for use with a card having an integrated circuit (IC) chip may include a magnetic head configured to read magnetic data on the card; an IC sensor configured to read and write IC data from and to the IC chip on the card; a magnetic data discrimination unit configured to determine the presence of the magnetic data on the card according to whether or not the magnetic data has been read by the magnetic head when the inserted card has been transported to a rear side from a leading end up to a predetermined position; and an IC reading controller configured to, if the magnetic data discrimination unit determines that the magnetic data is not present on the card, perform control to transport the card to a front side and control the IC sensor to read the IC data on the IC chip.

Abstract: A card reader may include a main body part having a conveyance path; a first card detection mechanism disposed upstream of the main body part; a second card detection mechanism disposed in the main body part at a distance less than a length of the card from the first card detection mechanism; a shutter member disposed between the first and second card detection mechanisms; a shutter state detector; and a control unit. The control unit may be structured to close the shutter member when an object is detected by the second card detection mechanism after being detected by the first card detection mechanism, and then the inserted object is not detected by the second card detection mechanism while the inserted object is not detected by the first card detection mechanism; and detect that an object other than the card has been inserted when the shutter member close after the control.

Abstract: A card reader for use with a card, the card reader may include a magnetic detector to detect magnetism from the card inserted into an insertion port; a main body part including a card conveyance path; and a card detection sensor structured to detect a tip end of the card. The magnetic detector and the card detection sensor may be disposed at a distance less than a length of the card in the insertion direction. The card reader may further include a control unit that monitors magnetism detected by the magnetic detector when the card detection sensor detects a tip end of an insert inserted into the insertion port, and detects that an object other than the card has been inserted when a movement distance of the insert in a period in which the magnetism is undetected by the magnetic detector is a predetermined value or more.

Abstract: A card reader use in a higher-level device may include a card transfer path; a card insertion detecting mechanism; a transfer roller; a turn detecting mechanism structured to detect a turn of the transfer roller; a card detecting mechanism; and a control unit. The control unit structured such that, if the card detecting mechanism switches from the OFF situation to the ON situation after the card insertion detecting mechanism switches from the OFF situation to the ON situation, even though no turn of the transfer roller is detected by the turn detecting mechanism, the control unit of the card reader sends a control unit of the higher-level device an alarm signal for notifying that a skimming device has been inserted through the insertion slot.

Abstract: A method for control of a card reader is provided. A control unit of a card reader performs an IC contact holding step for continuously energizing a solenoid to press an IC contact block against a card, and a holding voltage lowering step in which a state in which the IC contact block is pressed against the card is kept by performing chopper control of repeatedly turning on and off energization to the solenoid. The control unit performs the chopper control with a duty cycle being lowered stepwise. A duty cycle one stage before a duty cycle that is first determined to be a duty cycle in which the IC contact block is not held in a spring contact position (that is, a sensor is turned off) is stored in a storage unit. Thereafter, chopper control is performed by using the duty cycle stored in the storage unit.

Abstract: A control method of a card reader having a magnetic sensor, a magnetic head, a card conveying passage, and a conveyance mechanism may include at a predetermined timing set in advance, regardless of whether the magnetic stripe is detected, conveying the card inserted into the card insertion slot in the first direction to be subjected to the magnetic processing operation while passing through the magnetic processing position and then conveying the card in the second direction to be ejected from the card insertion slot, and when the magnetic stripe is detected based on a signal from the magnetic head in the magnetic processing operation but is not detected based on a signal from the magnetic sensor, determining that an abnormality occurs in the magnetic sensor.

Abstract: A card reader use in a higher-level device may include a card transfer path; a card insertion detecting mechanism; a transfer roller; a turn detecting mechanism structured to detect a turn of the transfer roller; a card detecting mechanism; and a control unit. The control unit structured such that, if the card detecting mechanism switches from the OFF situation to the ON situation after the card insertion detecting mechanism switches from the OFF situation to the ON situation, even though no turn of the transfer roller is detected by the turn detecting mechanism, the control unit of the card reader sends a control unit of the higher-level device an alarm signal for notifying that a skimming device has been inserted through the insertion slot.

Abstract: A card reader includes a taking-out detection mechanism for detecting taking-out of a card from a taking-out ready state, which is a state that a part of the card is protruded from the card insertion-and-ejection port to an outer side of the card reader so that the card is capable of being taken out from the card reader, and a resistance applying mechanism structured to abut with the card taken out from the card reader to apply a frictional resistance to the card so as to disturb taking-out of the card. The resistance applying mechanism may include a feed roller configured to feed the card in a direction ejecting the card from an inside of the card reader until the taking-out ready state and, when start of taking-out of the card from the taking-out ready state is detected by the taking-out detection mechanism, the feed roller may be temporarily rotated in a direction taking the card into the card reader.

Abstract: A card extracting device for use with a plurality of cards may include a card storage, a gate through which the cards pass toward an outside of the card storage, an extracting tab to engage with and extract one of the cards, a tab-moving mechanism to move the extracting tab, an extracting roller outside the card storage to further forward the extracted card, a motor to drive the tab-moving mechanism and the extracting roller, a card-extraction detecting section to detect that card extraction is completed, and a control section to control the motor. An engaging section may be formed in the extracting tab to abut a rear end portion of the card and extract the card. The control section may drive the motor forward to extract the card or drive the motor in reverse based on a detection result from the card extraction detecting section.

Abstract: A card reader includes a taking-out detection mechanism for detecting taking-out of a card from a taking-out ready state, which is a state that a part of the card is protruded from the card insertion-and-ejection port to an outer side of the card reader so that the card is capable of being taken out from the card reader, and a resistance applying mechanism structured to abut with the card taken out from the card reader to apply a frictional resistance to the card so as to disturb taking-out of the card. The resistance applying mechanism may include a feed roller configured to feed the card in a direction ejecting the card from an inside of the card reader until the taking-out ready state and, when start of taking-out of the card from the taking-out ready state is detected by the taking-out detection mechanism, the feed roller may be temporarily rotated in a direction taking the card into the card reader.

Abstract: A card reader may include a card insertion port, a card feeding passage along which a card is carried, a card surface abutting member such as a shutter member capable of abutting with a surface of the card, an abutting member sensor for detecting a position of the shutter member, a card insertion detection mechanism, and a control section for discriminating whether the card is a special shaped card or not on a basis of detection results of the abutting member sensor and the card insertion detection mechanism. A control method may include a shutter opening step, a feeding and stop step in which the card is carried by a first feeding distance in a taking-in direction and stopped, a shutter closing step in which the shutter member is moved in a direction for closing the card feeding passage, and a discrimination step in which the card is discriminated whether the card is a special shaped card or not on the basis of a detection result by the open-and-close sensor after the shutter closing step.

Abstract: A card extracting device for use with a plurality of cards may include a card storage, a gate through which the cards pass toward an outside of the card storage, an extracting tab to engage with and extract one of the cards, a tab-moving mechanism to move the extracting tab, an extracting roller outside the card storage to further forward the extracted card, a motor to drive the tab-moving mechanism and the extracting roller, a card-extraction detecting section to detect that card extraction is completed, and a control section to control the motor. An engaging section may be formed in the extracting tab to abut a rear end portion of the card and extract the card. The control section may drive the motor forward to extract the card or drive the motor in reverse based on a detection result from the card extraction detecting section.

Abstract: A card reader may include a card insertion port, a card feeding passage along which a card is carried, a card surface abutting member such as a shutter member capable of abutting with a surface of the card, an abutting member sensor for detecting a position of the shutter member, a card insertion detection mechanism, and a control section for discriminating whether the card is a special shaped card or not on a basis of detection results of the abutting member sensor and the card insertion detection mechanism. A control method may include a shutter opening step, a feeding and stop step in which the card is carried by a first feeding distance in a taking-in direction and stopped, a shutter closing step in which the shutter member is moved in a direction for closing the card feeding passage, and a discrimination step in which the card is discriminated whether the card is a special shaped card or not on the basis of a detection result by the open-and-close sensor after the shutter closing step.

Abstract: The present invention provides an object sensor configured such that excitation coils (13c and 13d) and a detection coil (12) are separately disposed, and the detection is performed in accordance with the balance between the excitation coils (13c and 13d) in a pair, a residual variation amount after the impedance due to a DC resistance part and the like has been offset and removed is obtained at high sensitivity with excellent linearity while using a small core body (11), regardless of the impedance including a DC resistance part. Additionally, the object sensor to be used as an inlet sensor is located in an appropriate position on a more upstream side than the read/write position in an insertion direction of the IC card. A contact terminal portion of the IC card is sensed whereby to detect the validity of the card inserted into the apparatus from a card insertion slot.