Patent Publication Number: US-2019177106-A1

Title: Rotary-disk type card storage and retrieval device and card storage and retrieval apparatus

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to a smart card apparatus. More specifically, embodiments disclosed herein relate to a rotary-disk type card storage and retrieval device and a card storage and retrieval apparatus. 
     With the development of society and economy, smart cards have been widely used. Smart cards can be divided into general-purpose cards and exclusive cards. General-purpose cards can be distributed to unspecified users. Such cards are usually produced by card-making entities and then distributed to specific users through purchase, free delivery, etc. Exclusive cards are made for specific users, in which cards personalized information is recorded. After the exclusive cards are produced, they need to be distributed to specific users. Conventionally, the distribution of exclusive cards is usually done by having the users come to a location designated by the card-issuing entity, and the cards are distributed manually. Disadvantages of this are that there must be dedicated staff members to issue the cards, and that the reception of the cards is restricted by the card-issuing location and the working time of the card-issuing entity, which is inefficient and inconvenient. For this reason, in the prior art, card storage and retrieval apparatus that can store, sort, and retrieve cards have been developed, on which a user can autonomously obtain a card by virtue of personal identification information. For example, Chinese invention patent application with the publication number of CN 106115088A discloses a “smart card storage and retrieval apparatus”. 
     However, since the axis of the rotary plates of the smart card storage and retrieval apparatus described in the aforementioned reference is vertically arranged, the upper plate and the lower plate being horizontally arranged, although the lower plate can play a role in supporting the cards so that the cards will not drop off, the cards between the upper plate and the lower plate are prone to moving radially outwards under the effect of centrifugal force, which could even dislodge the cards from the card storage portion. In order to prevent the cards from moving radially outwards, a stopper may be provided on the outer side of the upper plate and the lower plate. The stopper has an arc-shaped blocking surface, and the blocking surface is used to limit the radial movement of the cards. But this will bring the following problem: when the cards are rotated along with the upper plate and the lower plate, relative frictional motion can occur between the cards and the stopper. On the one hand, this causes abrasion to the cards and increases resistance to the rotation of the upper plate and the lower plate. 
     Additionally, the cards in the smart card storage and retrieval apparatus must be stored in the card storage space with their surfaces in the vertical position. But, according to customary operation, a card is in the horizontal position when being stored and retrieved. Therefore, a card turning device needs to be provided in said apparatus to adjust card posture, which not only makes the structure of the smart card storage and retrieval apparatus more complicated and the manufacturing cost higher, but also increases the time for storing cards and affects the speed of card storage and retrieval. 
     SUMMARY 
     One or more embodiments of the present invention provide a rotary-disk type card storage and retrieval device. The cards stored in the rotary-disk type card storage and retrieval device do not easily move due to gravity and centrifugal force during rotation of the rotary disk. Relative frictional sliding which would damage the cards is unlikely to occur, and there is little additional resistance posed on the rotary disk. In addition, the rotary-disk type card storage and retrieval device may also improve card storage efficiency, reduce the equipment cost, and accelerate the storage and retrieval process. 
     One or more embodiments of the present invention provide a card storage and retrieval apparatus comprising the above-described card storage and retrieval device. 
     In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a rotary-disk type card storage and retrieval device is provided, the device comprising a support; a rotary disk disposed on the support; a rotary disk driving mechanism that drives the rotary disk to rotate; and a card-holding belt that supports the cards, wherein an axis of the rotary disk is horizontally arranged, wherein the rotary disk is provided with a plurality of card storage slots that store cards, the card storage slots being evenly distributed along a circumferential direction of the rotary disk, wherein one end of each of the plurality of card storage slots is an access opening for a card to enter and exit, the access opening being located on an outer cylindrical surface of the rotary disk, wherein the other end of each of the plurality of card storage slots extends into the interior of the rotary disk, wherein the card-holding belt has a card-holding section surrounding a lower portion of the outer cylindrical surface of the rotary disk and the card-holding belt rotates synchronously with the rotary disk, and wherein the card-holding section of the card-holding belt has a blocking portion extending to the access openings of the card storage slots and the cards in the lower portion of the rotary disk are supported by the blocking portion. 
     Each of the card storage slots extends along a radial plane of the rotary disk. Alternatively, each of the card storage slots extends along a plane that forms an angle with a radial plane of the rotary disk. 
     The rotary disk comprises two circular plates opposite to each other and a connecting shaft that connects the two circular plates. The opposite surfaces of the two circular plates are both provided with grooves evenly distributed along the circumferential direction that position and guide the cards. The grooves on the two circular plates are disposed opposite and parallel to each other in a one-to-one correspondence. Two opposite grooves and the space between the two grooves combine to form one card storage slot. The radial depth of each of the plurality of card storage slots is equal to or slightly greater than a length of the card in the same direction. 
     The two ends of the connecting shaft are respectively connected to central portions of the two circular plates, and the connecting shaft is arranged coaxially with the two circular plates. 
     The rotary disk driving mechanism comprises a motor and a transmission mechanism that transmits the driving power of the motor to the rotary disk to drive the rotary disk to rotate. 
     The card-holding belt is a synchronous belt, and a plurality of engaging teeth are provided on an outer circumferential surface of one of the circular plates, wherein the positions of the plurality of engaging teeth are in a one-to-one correspondence with the grooves on said circular plate. A plurality of synchronous teeth are provided on an outer surface of the card-holding belt, and the plurality of synchronous teeth on the card-holding section of the card-holding belt engage with the plurality of engaging teeth. 
     The card-holding belt can be used as a transmission belt for the motor to drive the rotary disk to rotate. Alternatively, the card-holding belt can be used only as a card-holding belt that supports the cards. 
     A fixed baffle that prevents the cards from being tossed out due to inertia is provided on an outer side of an upper portion of the outer circumferential surface of the rotary disk. The baffle and the card-holding belt combine to form a card-blocking mechanism. 
     A card storage and retrieval apparatus comprises the above-described card storage and retrieval device; a card issuing device that holds cards to be stored and issues the cards one by one; and a card transport mechanism, wherein a card entrance-exit that allows the cards to enter or leave the card storage slots of the rotary disk is provided on an outer side of the rotary disk of the rotary-disk type card storage and retrieval device, wherein the card transport mechanism is used to transport a card issued by the card issuing device to the card entrance-exit and put the card into a card storage slot of the rotary disk, and to take out a card at the card entrance-exit from a card storage slot of the rotary disk and carry the card to a user retrieval opening. 
     The card storage and retrieval apparatus further comprises an identification device that identifies characteristic information of cards and a control system, wherein the control system records all the card storage slots in the rotary disk, determines a card storage slot uniquely corresponding to a card according to the characteristic information of the card identified by the identification device when the card is being stored, and causes the rotary disk to rotate by controlling the rotary disk driving mechanism so that the uniquely corresponding card storage slot is turned to the card entrance-exit. Further, the control system determines a corresponding card to be retrieved in the rotary disk according to a card-retrieval instruction from a user and causes the rotary disk to rotate by controlling the rotary disk driving mechanism so that the card storage slot that stores the card to be retrieved is turned to the card entrance-exit. 
     The card transport mechanism comprises a clamping mechanism that clamps the card and a card transport driving mechanism that moves the clamping mechanism, wherein the clamping mechanism comprises a first clamping block and a second damping block that can reach into spaces on both sides of a card in a card storage slot of the rotary disk, and a clamping driving mechanism that drives the clamping and releasing of the first clamping block and the second clamping block. 
     The card transport driving mechanism comprises a longitudinal driving mechanism that drives the clamping mechanism to move in a longitudinal direction and a transverse driving mechanism that drives the clamping mechanism to move in a transverse direction. 
     The card transport driving mechanism comprises a card delivery cart and a cart driving mechanism that drives the card delivery cart. 
     Compared with the prior art, one or more embodiments disclosed herein may have the following beneficial effects. 
     The cards in the card storage slots in the lower portion of the rotary disk in the rotary-disk type card storage and retrieval device according to one or more embodiments disclosed herein will not drop from the card storage slots because the cards are supported by the card-holding belt. And due to the synchronous rotation of the card-holding belt with the rotary disk, there is no relative frictional movement between the cards and the card-holding belt, so that the card will not be damaged, nor will resistance to the rotary disk increase. 
     The axis of the rotary disk in the card storage and retrieval apparatus according to one or more embodiments disclosed herein is horizontally arranged. The card storage slots in the rotary disk are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the rotary disk, and the card entrance-exit for the card storage slots is disposed on the cylindrical surface of the rotary disk. Thus, when a card is being stored or retrieved, the card is in a horizontal state as is customary, and there is no need to provide a turning mechanism to turn the card. This not only makes the structure of the card storage and retrieval apparatus simpler, the manufacturing cost thereby being lower, but also, makes the card storage and retrieval rate of the card storage and retrieval apparatus according to one or more embodiments disclosed herein faster and more efficient. 
     Other aspects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1-3  show schematic diagrams of the structure of a first example of the rotary-disk type card storage and retrieval device according to one or more embodiments.  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  are schematic perspective views of the structure, and  FIG. 3  is a side view (cross-sectional view). 
         FIG. 4  shows a schematic diagram of the (partial) structure of the blocking portion. 
         FIG. 5  shows a schematic diagram of the structure of the rotary disk in a second example of the rotary-disk type card storage and retrieval device according to one or more embodiments. 
         FIG. 6  shows a schematic perspective view of the structure of a third example of the rotary-disk type card storage and retrieval device according to one or more embodiments. 
         FIG. 7  shows a schematic perspective view of the structure of a first example of the card storage and retrieval apparatus according to one or more embodiments. 
         FIG. 8  shows a schematic perspective view of the card transport mechanism in  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 9  shows a side view (partially) of the clamping mechanism in  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 10  shows a partial view of the rotary-disk type card storage and retrieval device shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 11  shows a schematic perspective view of the structure of a second example of the card storage and retrieval apparatus according to one or more embodiments. 
         FIG. 12  shows a top view of  FIG. 11 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention will be further described in detail with reference to the following embodiments and the accompanying drawings, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto. 
     EXAMPLE 1 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , this example describes a rotary-disk type card storage and retrieval device according to one or more embodiments, comprising a support  1 , a rotary disk  2  disposed on the support  1 , and a rotary disk driving mechanism  3  that drives the rotary disk  2  to rotate. An axis of the rotary disk  2  is horizontally arranged. The rotary disk  2  is provided with a plurality of card storage slots  4  that store cards  15 , and the card storage slots  4  are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the rotary disk  2 . One end of each card storage slot  4  is an access opening for a card  15  to enter and exit, and the access opening is located on the cylindrical surface of the rotary disk  2 . The other end of each card storage slot  4  extends into the interior of the rotary disk  2 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , as an example, the rotary disk  2  comprises two circular plates  201 ,  202  opposite to each other and a connecting shaft  203  that connects the two circular plates  201 ,  202  together. The opposite surfaces of the two circular plates  201 ,  202  are each provided with grooves  401 ,  402  that are distributed along the circumferential direction and that position and guide the cards  15 . The grooves  401 ,  402  on the two circular plates  201 ,  202  are disposed opposite and parallel to each other. Two opposite grooves  401 ,  402  and the space between the two grooves  401 ,  402  combine to form a card storage slot  4 . The radial depth of the card storage slot  4  is equal to or slightly greater than the length of the card  15  in the same direction. The rotary disk  2  with the above-described structure has the advantage of easy processability. It is only necessary to mill the grooves  401 ,  402  on the surfaces of the two circular plates  201 ,  202 , and the machining is very convenient. Further, a card storage slot  4  formed by combination of two opposing grooves  401 ,  402  accommodates and limits only two edges of a card  15  so that two adjacent card storage slots  4  are connected at other parts than the edge parts of the card  15 . Thus, a space exists between two adjacent cards  15  so that there is space for the clamping mechanism  2  to reach into the rotary disk  2  to clamp a card  15  to easily retrieve the card  15  or put the card  15  into the card storage slot  4 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the card storage slots  4  each extends along a radial plane of the rotary disk  2 ; that is, the extension line of each card storage slot  4  passes through the center of the rotary disk  2 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , two ends of the connecting shaft  203  are respectively connected to the inner central portions of the two circular plates  201 ,  202 . Specifically, the connecting shaft  203  and the circular plates  201 ,  202  may be fixed together by using a screw that is inserted from the outside of the circular plates  201 ,  202 . The connecting shaft  203  is coaxially arranged with the two circular plates  201 ,  202 . The two circular plates  201 ,  202  and the connecting shaft  203  are each provided with a coaxial mounting hole. A rotating shaft  102  is disposed through the mounting holes, and the rotary disk  2  is mounted on the support  1  via the rotating shaft  102 . 
     One of the characteristics of the rotary disk  2  according to one or more embodiments is that the access openings of the card storage slots  4  are located on the outer cylindrical surface of the rotary disk  2  in order to allow the cards  15  to enter or leave the card storage slots  4  from the outer cylindrical surface of the rotary disk  2 . Other rotary disks  2  with this structural feature are also possible implementations of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , the rotary-disk type card storage and retrieval device according to one or more embodiments further comprises a card-holding belt  6  that supports the cards  15 . The card-holding belt  6  has a card-holding section surrounding a lower portion of the outer cylindrical surface of the rotary disk  2 , and the card-holding belt  6  rotates synchronously with the rotary disk  2 . The card-holding section of the card-holding belt  6  has a blocking portion  601  extending to the access openings of the card storage slots  4 , and the cards  15  in the lower portion of the rotary disk  2  are supported by the blocking portion  601 . In this way, the cards  15  in the card storage slots  4  in the lower portion of the rotary disk  2  are supported by the blocking portion  601  of the card-holding section of the card-holding belt  6  so that the cards  15  are confined in the card storage slots  4  without dropping off. Moreover, due to the synchronous rotation of the card-holding belt  6  with the rotary disk  2 , there is no relative displacement between the card-holding belt  6  and the rotary disk  2 , and thus the card-holding section of the card-holding belt  6  and the rotary disk  2  can be regarded as an integral structure. During the rotation of the rotary disk  2 , there is no relative movement between the card disk in the lower portion of the rotary disk  2  and the card-holding section of the card-holding belt  6 , so that the cards  15  will not be worn and the frictional resistance on the rotation of the rotary disk  2  will not increase. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , as an easy way of implementing the synchronous rotation of the rotary disk  2  with the card-holding belt  6 , the card-holding belt  6  is a synchronous belt, and a plurality of engaging teeth  204  are provided on the outer circumferential surface of one of the circular plates  201  of the rotary disk  2 . The positions of the plurality of engaging teeth  204  are in a one-to-one correspondence with the grooves  401  on said circular plate  201 . A plurality of synchronous teeth (not shown) are provided on an outer surface of the card-holding belt  6 , and the plurality of synchronous teeth on the card-holding section of the card-holding belt  6  engage with the plurality of engaging teeth  204 . In this way, the rotary disk  2  and the card-holding section of the card-holding belt  6  can rotate in a strictly synchronous manner without slipping. The card-holding belt  6  supports the cards  15  at the circumferential surface of the lower portion of the rotary disk  2  and contacts the outer edges of the cards  15 . Specifically, the synchronous teeth at the card-holding section on the outer surface of the card-holding belt  6  are in contact with the outer edges of the cards  15  so as to support the cards  15 . In operation, the card-holding belt  6  rotates synchronously with the rotary disk  2 , and the cards  15 , the rotary disk  2 , and the card-holding section of the card-holding belt  6  remain relatively stationary, preventing the cards  15  from dropping due to gravity. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , a plurality of synchronous wheels  7  are further provided on the inner side of the card-holding belt  6 , and other parts of the card-holding belt  6  than the card-holding section surround these synchronous wheels  7  so that the synchronous belt forms a cyclic structure. Among the synchronous wheels  7 , two are located at the two ends of the card-holding section, respectively. In operation, the card-holding section of the card-holding belt  6  rotates synchronously with the rotary disk  2 , and at the same time, the card-holding belt  6  itself rotates around the synchronous wheels  7  in a cyclic manner. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , a rotary disk driving mechanism  3  is used to drive the rotary disk  2  to rotate. The rotary disk driving mechanism  3  comprises a motor  301  and a transmission mechanism  302  that transmits the driving power of the motor  301  to the rotary disk  2  to drive the rotary disk  2  to rotate. The transmission mechanism  302  may be a belt transmission mechanism, a gear transmission mechanism, a chain transmission mechanism, or the like, and may also be a coupling that directly connects the main shaft of the motor  301  and the rotary disk  2  coaxially together. In this example, the transmission mechanism  302  comprises the card-holding belt  6  and the synchronous wheels  7  located on the inside of the card-holding belt  6 , and the main shaft of the motor  301  is connected to one of the synchronous wheels  7 . In this way, the card-holding belt  6  not only plays the role of supporting the cards  15 , but also, plays the role of driving the rotary disk  2 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , the support  1  further comprises two supporting plates  101  disposed on the two sides of the rotary disk  2 , respectively. The two ends of the rotating shaft  102  which passes through the connecting shaft  203  and the rotary disk  2  are respectively connected to the two supporting plates  101 . A bearing  103  is provided between the rotating shaft  102  and each of the supporting plate  101 . 
     In order to prevent the cards  15  in the upper portion of the rotary disk  2  from being tossed out due to inertia during the rotation of the rotary disk  2 , a fixed baffle that prevents the cards from being tossed out due to inertia is provided on an outer side of an upper portion of the outer circumferential surface of the rotary disk  2 . The inner side of the baffle is configured to be arc-shaped. The baffle and the card-holding belt  6  combine to form a card-blocking mechanism. Since the baffle is located above the rotary disk  2 , the cards  15  always have a tendency to move downwards due to gravity so that relative friction between the cards  15  and the baffle may be avoided. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , when the rotary-disk type card storage and retrieval device according to one or more embodiments is in operation, a card entrance-exit  5  needs to be provided on the outside of the circumferential surface of the rotary disk  2  for allowing the cards  15  to enter or leave the card storage slots  4  of the rotary disk  2 . When a card  15  needs to be sent into a certain card storage slot  4  of the rotary disk  2 , the rotary disk driving mechanism  3  drives the rotary disk  2  to rotate so that the corresponding card storage slot  4  is rotated to the card entrance-exit  5 . The card  15  then passes through the card entrance-exit  5  into the card storage slot  4 . Similarly, when a card  15  in a certain card storage slot  4  in the rotary disk  2  needs to be retrieved, the rotary disk driving mechanism drives the rotary disk  2  to rotate so that the corresponding card storage slot  4  is rotated to the card entrance-exit  5 . The card  15  in the card storage slot  4  is then retrieved through the card entrance-exit  5 . The card entrance-exit  5  is a horizontal passage disposed on a horizontal plane corresponding to the center of the rotary disk  2 , and the card  15  enters or leaves the card storage slot  4  of the rotary disk  2  in a horizontal posture. 
     EXAMPLE 2 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , the present example differs from Example 1 in that the card storage slots  4  each extend along a plane that forms an angle with a radial plane of the rotary disk  2 ; that is, the extension line of each card storage slot  4  is at a distance from the center of the rotary disk  2 . This configuration has two advantages: 1, The position of the card entrance-exit  5  can be lowered. Since the extension lines of the card storage slots  4  are at a certain distance from the center of the rotary disk 2, the height of the card storage slot  4  in the rotary disk  2  in the horizontal plane is lower than that of the card storage slot  4  where the extension lines pass through the center of the rotary disk  2 . The card entrance-exit  5  is configured as a horizontal passage, and the height of the card storage slot  4  in the rotary disk  2  in the horizontal plane is also the height where the card entrance-exit  5  is disposed. By lowering the position of the card entrance-exit  5 , the cards  15  can be transported at a lower position so that the bottom space can be fully utilized. 2. The centrifugal force can be resisted so that the cards  5  are not easily dislodged from the card storage slots  4 . During the rotation of the rotary disk  2  driven by the rotary disk driving mechanism  3 , the direction of the centrifugal force suffered by the card  15  in a card storage slot  4  intersects with the plane in which that card storage slot  4  is. Therefore, the centrifugal force is decomposed into a perpendicular component perpendicular to the plane in which the card storage slot  4  is and the parallel component parallel to the plane in which the card storage slot  4  is, so that the centrifugal force is reduced. Meanwhile, the perpendicular component also increases the frictional force between the card storage slot  4  and the card  15  so that the card  15  is less likely to be displaced relative to the card storage slot  4 . 
     EXAMPLE 3 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , the present example differs from Example 1 in that the rotary disk driving mechanism  3  comprises a motor  301  and a synchronous belt transmission mechanism  302 . The synchronous belt transmission mechanism  302  comprises a synchronous belt  303  and a plurality of synchronous wheels  7 . Engaging teeth  204  are provided on the outer circumferential surfaces of both circular plates  201 ,  202  of the rotary disk  2 . The synchronous teeth of the synchronous belt  303  in the rotary disk driving mechanism  3  engage with the engaging teeth  204  on one of the circular plates  201 , while the synchronous teeth on the card-holding belt  6  engage with the engaging teeth  204  on the other one of the circular plates  202 . In this way, the synchronous belt  303  in the rotary disk driving mechanism  3  is used to drive the rotary disk  2  to rotate, and the card-holding belt  6  is only used to support the cards  15 . 
     EXAMPLE 4 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7-10 , the present example describes a card storage and retrieval apparatus according to one or more embodiments. The card storage and retrieval apparatus comprises the card storage and retrieval device B, a card issuing device C that holds cards  15  to be stored and issues cards  15  one by one, an identification device D that identifies characteristic information of cards  15 , a card transport mechanism A that transports cards  15 , and the control system. A card entrance-exit  5  that allows cards  15  to enter or leave the card storage slots  4  of the rotary disk  2  is provided on the outer side of the rotary disk  2  of the card storage and retrieval device B. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7-10 , the card transport mechanism A is used to transport a card issued by the card issuing device C to the card entrance-exit  5  and put the card  5  into a card storage slot  4  of the rotary disk  2 , and to take out a card  15  at the card entrance-exit  5  from the card storage slot  4  of the rotary disk  2  and carry the card  15  to a user retrieval opening. The card transport mechanism A comprises a clamping mechanism  8  that clamps the card  15  and a card transport driving mechanism that moves the clamping mechanism  8 . The clamping mechanism  8  comprises a first clamping block  801  and a second clamping block  802  that can reach into spaces on both sides of a card  15  in a card storage slot  4  of the rotary disk  2 , and a clamping driving mechanism that drives the clamping and releasing of the first clamping block  801  and the second clamping block  802 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7-10 , the control system records all the card storage slots  4  in the rotary disk  2 . The control system determines a card storage slot  4  uniquely corresponding to a card  15  according to the characteristic information of the card  15  identified by the identification device D when the card  15  is being stored, and causes the rotary disk  2  to rotate by controlling the rotary disk driving mechanism  3  so that the uniquely corresponding card storage slot  4  is turned to the card entrance-exit  5 . The control system also determines a corresponding card  15  to be retrieved in the rotary disk  2  according to a card-retrieval instruction from a user and causes the rotary disk  2  to rotate by controlling the rotary disk driving mechanism  3  so that the card storage slot  4  that stores the card  15  to be retrieved is turned to the card entrance-exit  5 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7-10 , the control system comprises a processor, a memory, and an input device. In order to record all the card storage slots  4 , it is necessary to set one of the card storage slots  4  as the reference card storage slot  4 . When the reference card storage slot  4  is at the card entrance-exit  5 , the position of the rotary disk  2  at that time is designated zero position. The zero position of the rotary disk  2  is implemented through a zero position photoelectric sensor  10  and a zero position detection piece  11  disposed on the rotary disk  2 . When the zero position detection piece  11  on the rotary disk  2  arrives at the zero position photoelectric sensor  10  and is detected by the zero position photoelectric sensor  10 , the card storage slot  4  corresponding to the card entrance-exit  5  at that time is the reference card storage slot  4 . The rotation angle of the rotary disk  2  is determined by the number of pulses sent from the control system to the motor  301  in the rotary disk driving mechanism  3 . After the reference card storage slot  4  is determined, the rotation angles by which the other card storage slots  4  need to rotate to arrive at the card entrance-exit  5  can be converted to numbers of pulses sent by the control system to the motor  301 . Thus, the control system can use the reference card storage slot  4  as a reference to record the positions of all the card storage slots  4  in the rotary disk  2 . 
     Based on the above functions, the control system can store a card  15  in any designated card storage slat  4  and retrieve a card  15  from any designated card storage slot  4 . In operation, the only need is to turn the designated card storage slot  4  to the card entrance-exit  5  so as to achieve designated storage and retrieval of cards  15 . 
     In order to ensure that the rotation angle of the rotary disk  2  is accurate when a card is being stored or retrieved, it is also possible to make confirmation by providing a code dial  9  and a photoelectric sensor  12 . Specifically, the code dial  9  is coaxially arranged on the rotary disk  2 , and notches that are as many as the card storage slots  4  are evenly arranged along the circumferential direction on the code dial  9 . During the rotation of the code dial  9  along with the rotary disk  2 , the notches can be detected by the photoelectric sensor  12  when passing by the photoelectric sensor  12 . Therefore, during the rotation of the rotary disk  2 , the number of pulses sent by the control system to the motor  301  has a corresponding relationship with the number of notches on the code dial  9  passing by the photoelectric sensor  12 . Thus, whether the rotation angle the rotary disk  2  is accurate can be verified by determining whether the two numbers are the same. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7-10 , the identification device D is used to identify characteristic information of the cards  15 . During storage operation, the identification device D identifies the characteristic information of a card  15  and sends the characteristic information to the control system to find the card storage slot  4  in the rotary disk  2  corresponding to the card  15 , thereby achieving designated storage. During retrieval operation, before the card  15  is carried to the user retrieval opening, the identification device D reads the characteristic information of the card  15  so as to compare the characteristic information with the information of the designated card  15  in the user&#39;s card-retrieval instruction to verify whether said card  15  is the card  15  to be retrieved, thereby making the retrieval of the card  15  more accurate. The characteristic information of the card  15  may be electronic information stored in the card  15  or printed information on a surface of the card  15 . The information has a unique correspondence to the card  15 . The identification device D may be a chip card reader, a magnetic stripe card reader, or an image identification device. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7-10 , in the card transport mechanism A, the clamping driving mechanism that drives the clamping and releasing of the first clamping block  801  and the second clamping block  802  may be a combination of a motor and a screw transmission mechanism. The clamping driving mechanism may also be an electromagnet or any other suitable device which can drive the clamping and releasing of the first clamping block  801  and the second clamping block  802  in order to clamp or release the card  15 . The clamping portions of the first clamping block  801  and the second clamping block  802 , when opened, should not touch other cards  15  in the adjacent card storage slots  4 . The first clamping block  801  and the second clamping block  802  may have a “spearhead” configuration. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7-10 , the card transport driving mechanism in the card transport mechanism A is used to drive the clamping mechanism to move, and specifically may comprise a longitudinal driving mechanism  13  and a transverse driving mechanism  14  that drive the clamping mechanism  8  in the longitudinal and transverse directions, respectively. The longitudinal driving mechanism  13  and the transverse driving mechanism  14  each may comprise a motor and a screw transmission mechanism, or a motor and a synchronous belt transmission mechanism. In this example, the latter configuration is used. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , the numbers of the card issuing device C and the rotary-disk type card storage and retrieval device B may be chosen in a flexible way. In this example, one card issuing device C and five card storage and retrieval devices B are provided. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7-10 , the working principle of the card storage and retrieval apparatus according to one or more embodiments is as follows: 
     The card storage and retrieval apparatus according to one or more embodiments includes two operations, i.e., card storage and card retrieval. Card storage refers to the storage of a card  15  that has been prepared into a card storage slot of the rotary disk  2 . Card retrieval refers to the retrieval of a card  15  that has been stored in a card storage slot  4 . 
     During storage operation, the cards  15  to be stored are held in the card issuing device C and are issued by the card issuing device C one by one. An issued card  15  first enters the identification device D for reading and identification of the characteristic information of the card  15 , and the read characteristic information of the card  15  is transmitted to the control system. The control system records all the card storage slots  4  in the rotary disk  2  and knows the position of each card storage slot  4  in the rotary disk  2 . The control system has predetermined the card  15  to be stored in each card storage slot  4  and makes an association through the characteristic information of the card  15 . The control system determines the card storage slot  4  uniquely corresponding to the card  15  after receiving the characteristic information of the card  15  from the identification device D and causes the rotary disk  2  to rotate by controlling the rotary disk driving mechanism  3  so that the uniquely corresponding card storage slot  4  is turned to the card entrance-exit  5 . The card transport mechanism A transports the card to the card entrance-exit  5  and puts the card into the corresponding card storage slot  4 . By repeating this operation, all the cards will eventually be stored into the card storage slots  4  of the rotary disk  2 . 
     During retrieval operation, a user enters the identification information corresponding to the card  15  to be retrieved to the apparatus, and the information is transmitted to the control system. The control system determines the corresponding card  15  to be retrieved in the rotary disk  2  according to the information and causes the rotary disk  2  to rotate by controlling the rotary disk driving mechanism  3  so that the card storage slot  4  that stores the card  15  to be retrieved is turned to the card entrance-exit  5 . The card  15  is then taken out of the card storage slot  4  by the card transport mechanism A and transported to the user retrieval opening. The user retrieves the corresponding card  15  from the user retrieval opening. 
     EXAMPLE 5 
     Referring to  FIG. 11  and  FIG. 12 , the present example differs from Example 4 in that the card transport driving mechanism comprises a card delivery cart E and a cart driving mechanism that drives the card delivery cart, wherein the card delivery cart is provided with a card delivery mechanism for delivering cards. The specific structure of the card delivery cart E may be implemented by referring to the prior art, for example, Chinese Patent No. CN205771627U. The cart driving mechanism may be implemented by the transverse driving mechanism  14  in Example 4. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 11-12 , the numbers of the card issuing device C and the rotary-disk type card storage and retrieval device B are identical and corresponding. In this example, three card issuing devices C and three card storage and retrieval devices B are provided. 
     While the disclosure includes a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments may be devised which do not depart from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the scope should be limited only by the attached claims.