Card reader

1. A card reader for use with a card configured to record magnetic data, the card reader comprising:

a magnetic head configured to read magnetic data recorded on the card or record magnetic data to the card;

a card insertion part comprising an insertion port into which the card is inserted;

a metal sensor configured to detect attachment of a foreign matter including metal material to a front face side of the card insertion part;

a card passage where the card is passed; and

a protruded part which is formed in the card insertion part so that an opposite side to a side where the magnetic head is disposed with respect to the card passage is protruded to a front side from a front face of the card insertion part;

wherein, when viewed in an inserting direction of the card, the protruded part and the magnetic head are disposed so as to interpose the card passage therebetween;

wherein the metal sensor is disposed at substantially a same position as an arrangement position of the magnetic head in a widthwise direction of the card which is substantially perpendicular to an inserting direction of the card; and

wherein the metal sensor is disposed in an inside of the protruded part which is protruded to the front side from the front face of the card insertion part on the side where the magnetic head is disposed.

2. The card reader according to claim 1 , wherein the metal sensor is disposed so that its detecting direction is inclined with respect to a thickness direction of the card that is substantially perpendicular to the inserting direction of the card and the widthwise direction of the card, and so that its detectable region is widened to the front side from the front face of the card insertion part on the side where the magnetic head is disposed with respect to the card passage.

3. The card reader according to claim 1 , wherein

the metal sensor comprises a core which is formed of magnetic material and a pair of excitation coils and a detection coil which are wound around the core with a center axis of the core as a center,

the core is provided with a center core part which is disposed at a substantially center in an axial direction of the center axis and a pair of axial end core parts which are disposed on both end sides of the center core part in the axial direction of the center axis, and

the detection coil is wound around the center core part and each of the pair of the excitation coils is wound around each of the pair of the axial end core parts.

4. The card reader according to claim 3 , wherein at least one coil of the pair of the excitation coils and the detection coil is excited so that a disturbing noise is generated for disturbing reading of magnetic data on the card by a skimming magnetic head which is the foreign matter attached to the front face side with respect to the card insertion part.

5. The card reader according to claim 1 , further comprising a card insertion prevention member configured to close the card passage to prevent insertion of the card, wherein, when the metal sensor detects the foreign matter, the card insertion prevention member maintains a state that the card passage is closed, or the card insertion prevention member closes the card passage having been opened.

6. The card reader according to claim 1 , further comprising an infrared sensor configured to detect a human body which is disposed on the front face side of the card insertion part and configured to detect movement of a person on a front side with respect to the card reader.

7. The card reader according to claim 6 , wherein, when viewed in the inserting direction of the card, the metal sensor and the infrared sensor are disposed so as to interpose the card passage therebetween.

8. The card reader according to claim 6 , wherein at least a part of a detectable region of the metal sensor and at least a part of a detectable region of the infrared sensor are overlapped with each other.

9. The card reader according to claim 1 , wherein

the magnetic head is disposed on a lower side with respect to the card passage,

an upper side of the card insertion part with respect to the card passage is protruded to the front side from the front face of the card insertion part on the side where the magnetic head is disposed to form the protruded part, and

the metal sensor which is disposed in the inside of the protruded part is disposed so that its detecting direction is widened to a lower side of the protruded part and to the front side with respect to the front face of the card insertion part on the side where the magnetic head is disposed.

10. The card reader according to claim 9 , wherein the metal sensor is disposed in the inside of the protruded part so that its detecting direction is widened to the lower side of the protruded part from a position on a front side with respect to the front face of the card insertion part on the side where the magnetic head is disposed.

11. The card reader according to claim 9 , further comprising an infrared sensor for detecting a human body which is disposed on a front face side of the card insertion part on the side where the magnetic head is disposed for detecting movement of a person on a front side with respect to the card reader.

12. A card reader for use with a card configured to record magnetic data, the card reader comprising:

a magnetic head configured to read magnetic data recorded on the card or record magnetic data to the card;

a card insertion part comprising an insertion port into which the card is inserted;

an infrared sensor configured to detect a human body which is disposed on a front face side of the card insertion part and configured to detect movement of a person in front of the card reader;

a card passage where the card is passed; and

a card sensor for detecting presence/absence of the card in the card passage;

wherein the infrared sensor is disposed at substantially a same position as an arrangement position of the magnetic head in a widthwise direction of the card which is substantially perpendicular to an inserting direction of the card;

wherein the magnetic head is disposed so that its gap part faces the card passage,

wherein the infrared sensor is disposed on a side where the magnetic head is disposed with respect to the card passage in a thickness direction of the card which is substantially perpendicular to an inserting direction of the card and which is substantially perpendicular to a widthwise direction of the card that is substantially perpendicular to the inserting direction of the card, and

wherein, when the card sensor detects the card in a state that the infrared sensor does not detect movement of a person, an abnormal signal is transmitted to a host device on which the card reader is mounted.

13. The card reader according to claim 12 , wherein the infrared sensor is disposed in a vicinity of the insertion port.

14. The card reader according to claim 12 , further comprising

a card passage where the card is passed, and

a card insertion prevention member configured to close the card passage to prevent insertion of the card,

wherein the card insertion prevention member closes the card passage at a standby time when the card is not inserted into the card reader and, when the infrared sensor detects movement of a person, the card insertion prevention member opens the card passage to permit insertion of the card.

15. The card reader according to claim 12 , further comprising a metal sensor which is disposed on a front face side of the card insertion part and configured to detect attachment of a foreign matter including metal material to a front face side with respect to the card insertion part.

16. The card reader according to claim 15 , wherein

the metal sensor comprises a core which is formed of magnetic material and a pair of excitation coils and a detection coil which are wound around the core with a center axis of the core as a center,

the core is provided with a center core part which is disposed at a substantially center in an axial direction of the center axis and a pair of axial end core parts which are disposed on both end sides of the center core part in the axial direction of the center axis,

the detection coil is wound around the center core part and each of the pair of the excitation coils is wound around each of the pair of the axial end core parts, and at least one coil of the pair of the excitation coils and the detection coil is excited so that, when the infrared sensor does not detect movement of a person, a disturbing noise is generated for disturbing reading of magnetic data on the card by a skimming magnetic head which is the foreign matter attached to the front face side with respect to the card insertion part, and so that the disturbing noise is stopped when the infrared sensor detects movement of a person.

17. The card reader according to claim 15 , wherein at least a part of a detectable region of the infrared sensor and at least a part of a detectable region of the metal sensor are overlapped with each other.

18. A card reader for use with a card configured to record magnetic data, the card reader comprising:

a magnetic head configured to read magnetic data recorded on the card or record magnetic data to the card;

a card insertion part comprising an insertion port into which the card is inserted; and

a metal sensor configured to detect attachment of a foreign matter including metal material to a front face side of the card insertion part;

wherein the metal sensor comprises a core which is formed of magnetic material, and a pair of excitation coils and a detection coil which are wound around with a center axis of the core as a center;

wherein the core is provided with a center core part which is disposed at a substantially center in an axial direction of the center axis and a pair of axial end core parts which are disposed on both end sides of the center core part in the axial direction of the center axis, and the detection coil is wound around the center core part and each of the pair of the excitation coils is wound around each of the pair of the axial end core parts; and

wherein the metal sensor is disposed at substantially a same position as an arrangement position of the magnetic head in a widthwise direction of the card which is substantially perpendicular to an inserting direction of the card.