Card Reader and Control Method Therefor

A card reader for use with a card comprising a magnetic stripe, the card reader comprising:

• a magnetic sensor structured to detect whether magnetic data are recorded in the magnetic stripe of the card;
• a control section which is structured to supply electric power to the magnetic sensor and into which an output signal of the magnetic sensor is inputted;
• and
• a card insertion part which is formed with a card insertion port into which the card is inserted and in which the magnetic sensor is disposed;
• wherein the magnetic sensor outputs an output signal when the electric power is supplied from the control section, and
• wherein the control section is structured such that, in a case that a time period from a time when a recording area of magnetic data recorded in the magnetic stripe of the card inserted into the card insertion port starts to pass the magnetic sensor to a time when the recording area has finished passing through the magnetic sensor is defined as a card passage time period, the control section supplies the electric power to the magnetic sensor during a first supply time period which is shorter than the card passage time period.