Nidec Sankyo Corporation

Shigeki Ozawa

Kazunori Takahashi

Kazutoshi Ishikawa

Katsuhisa Higashi

Takeki Watanabe

Yukihiko Takita

Masaya Fujimoto

Hiroshige Takeda

Hirofumi Kuwaki

Yoichi Isono

Fumiya Akasu

A card reader for use with a card having a magnetic stripe may include a card insertion port; a card passage through which the card inserted from the card insertion port passes, the card passage being connected to the card insertion port; a magnetic head configured to perform at least one of: recording magnetic data to the magnetic stripe of the card and reading magnetic data from the magnetic stripe of the card; a capacitive sensor provided in contact with the card passage; and a movable structure structured such that a distance to the capacitive sensor is variable. The capacitive sensor may include a plurality of regions, each of the plurality of regions being structured to detect a capacitance, and a switch circuit configured to electrically connect and disconnect each region of the plurality of regions.

Card reader and foreign matter detection method thereof

A magnetic information processing device for use with a magnetic recording medium storing a magnetic signal may include a magnetic card detection unit comprising a sensor and being structured to detect insertion of the magnetic recording medium; a magnetic head structured to read the magnetic signal recorded in the magnetic recording medium, and output the magnetic signal as an analog signal; a signal detection unit structured to amplify the analog signal output from the magnetic head, and output a detection output signal when the analog signal exceeds a predetermined threshold value of a magnetic detection sensitivity; and a judgment unit structured to judge that the detection output signal output by the signal detection unit is different from the magnetic signal recorded in the magnetic recording medium, when no insertion of the magnetic recording medium is detected by the magnetic card detection unit.

Magnetic information processing device and magnetic information processing method

A card reader may include a card passage; a shutter member to close the card passage; a magnetic head on a rear side of the shutter member reads or records data in a magnetic strip of a card; an electrostatic capacitance sensor on the rear side or the shutter member; a first guide member which structures at least a part of a face on a first direction side of the card passage when one side in a thickness direction of the card passing the card passage is referred to as a first direction; and a second guide member which structures at least a part of a face on a second direction side of the card passage. The first guide member may include insulating material and the second guide member may include conductive material. The electrostatic capacitance sensor may be attached to the first guide member.

Card reader

A card reader for use with a card may include a card insertion part comprising an insertion port for the card; and an infrared sensor structured to detect a human body and detect movement of a person in front of the card reader. When an inserting direction side of the card inserted into the insertion port is referred to as a rear side and an opposite side to the inserting direction side of the card is referred to as a front side, the card insertion part may include a cut-out part which is cut out toward the rear side from a front end of the card insertion part. The infrared sensor may be disposed so as to face the cut-out part.

A card reader may include a card passage where a card inserted into an insertion port for the card is passed, a shutter member for closing the card passage, a magnetic head disposed on a rear side relative to the shutter member and structured to perform reading of magnetic data recorded in a magnetic stripe of the card and/or recording of magnetic data to the magnetic stripe, and a foreign matter detection mechanism which is structured to detect a foreign matter attached to the card passage. The foreign matter detection mechanism is disposed on a rear side relative to the shutter member and is disposed at a position in the width direction of the card where the magnetic stripe is passed. The foreign matter detection mechanism may be structured of an electrostatic capacitance sensor.

A card reader may include a card insertion part which is formed with an insertion port into which the card is inserted; and a magnetic sensor which is provided in the card insertion part and is structured to detect whether magnetic data are recorded on the card or not. The magnetic sensor may be disposed so as to secure a space between the card inserted into the insertion port and the magnetic sensor. The magnetic data may be arranged in a longitudinal direction of the card. When viewed in a thickness direction of the card which is inserted into the insertion port, a magnetism detection direction of the magnetic sensor may be inclined with respect to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

Disclosed is a card reader which has a comparatively simple construction and is capable of appropriately detecting whether or not a magnetic head for skimming has been attached thereto. A card reader is provided with: a magnetic head which reads magnetic data recorded on a card and/or records magnetic data onto a card; a card insertion unit which has an insertion opening into which a card is inserted formed therein; and a metal sensor (which detects that a foreign body containing metal material has been attached to the front surface side of the card insertion unit. The metal sensor is arranged in substantially the same position as the arrangement position of the magnetic head, in the width direction of the card.

A reading method for data in a card reader including: (a) inserting a card provided with a magnetic stripe into a card insertion part, (b) reading data in the magnetic stripe with a data read section at least at a time of insertion or extraction of the card, (c) comparing an output level from the data read section with a predetermined read decision reference value, and then (d) changing the read decision reference value when the data have not been read. The read decision reference value may be changed from a low sensitivity setting to a high sensitivity setting or maybe circularly changed. The reading method for data is effectively utilized for a manual card reader.

Growing community of inventors

Nagano, Japan

Shigeki Ozawa