DE3815091A1

DE3815091A1 - Ball transporter for charging tennis ball serving machines

Info

Publication number: DE3815091A1
Application number: DE19883815091
Authority: DE
Inventors: Ernst-Joerg Dipl Ing Kiesgen
Original assignee: KIESGEN ERNST JOERG DIPL ING F
Current assignee: KIESGEN ERNST JOERG DIPL ING F
Priority date: 1988-05-04
Filing date: 1988-05-04
Publication date: 1989-11-16

Abstract

A technical apparatus serves to transport tennis balls reliably from a collection of tennis balls upwards to any desired height. Arranged below a collection point for tennis balls is a ball regulator which separates the tennis balls (as implemented in current tennis ball serving machines). These tennis balls (7) now roll, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, individually and in sequence on a descending ramp (9) to a roll-off surface (10). The distance between the rotating belt (12), which is guided by the belt pulleys (R15) and (R16), and the roll-off surface (10) is less than the diameter of tennis balls (7). As a result, the tennis balls are gripped at the belt pulley (R16) and are lightly compressed, and then automatically roll upwards between the belt pulley (R16), the belt (12), the belt pulley (R15) and the roll-off surface (10). Following this automatic guidance, the tennis balls (7) roll over an internal descending ramp (13) onto an external descending ramp (14) and drop from there into a tennis ball serving machine. This ball transporter can be used in so-called tennis training or serving channels. <IMAGE>

Description

State of the art

Teilweise werden in Tenniscentren sogenannte Trainingskanäle installiert. Da bis heute ein geeigneter Balltransporter nicht zu kaufen ist, der zuverlässig Bälle von unten nach oben trans portiert, um damit wieder Ballwurfmaschinen aufzufüllen, mußten zahlreise Kompromisse gemacht werden, z. B. es war kein Spiel netz vorhanden oder es konnten nur ganz niedrige, kleine Ball wurfmaschinen eingesetzt werden.So-called training channels are sometimes used in tennis centers Installed. Since a suitable ball transporter is not to buy is that reliably trans balls from bottom to top ported to refill ball throwing machines again compromises are made, e.g. B. It wasn't a game net or only very low, small ball throwing machines are used.

Wie nun ein professioneller Trainingskanal aussehen kann, ist in Fig. 5 dargestellt. Der Tennisball (7) absolviert folgenden Weg:How a professional training channel can look like is shown in Fig. 5. The tennis ball ( 7 ) does the following:

Von der Ballwurfmaschine (2) werden gemäß einem Trainings programm, das vorgewählt wurde, die Bälle (7) laufend von der Ballwurfmaschine (2) dem Spieler zugeschleudert. Der Spieler schlägt mit seinem Schläger (6) die laufend heranfliegenden Bälle (7) über das Netz (11) zurück. Dort treffen die Bälle (7) auf die Aufprallwand (3), fallen dann herunter auf die Trichter bühne (4), rollen dann mit eigener Schwerkraft in einen Ball richter (8). Dort sammeln sich die Bälle (7) und werden ver einzelt.From the ball throwing machine ( 2 ), the balls ( 7 ) are continuously thrown by the ball throwing machine ( 2 ) towards the player according to a training program that has been selected. With his bat ( 6 ), the player strikes back the balls ( 7 ) that are constantly approaching via the net ( 11 ). There the balls ( 7 ) hit the impact wall ( 3 ), then fall down onto the funnel stage ( 4 ), then roll into gravity into a ball judge ( 8 ). There the balls ( 7 ) collect and are separated.

Solche Ballrichter (8) werden ebenfalls in den üblichen Ballwurfmaschinen (2) eingesetzt, um Bälle zu vereinzeln.Such ball judges ( 8 ) are also used in the conventional ball throwing machines ( 2 ) to separate balls.

Von diesem Ballrichter (8) gelangen die Bälle (7) nun streng vereinzelt, d. h. Ball (7) für Ball (7) hintereinander in einen Ablauf (9) und rollen nun ebenfalls unter eigener Schwerkraft zu einem Balltransporter (1).From this ball judge ( 8 ) the balls ( 7 ) now arrive in a strictly isolated manner, ie ball ( 7 ) for ball ( 7 ) one after the other in a drain ( 9 ) and now also roll under their own gravity to a ball transporter ( 1 ).

Dieser Balltransporter (1) hat die Aufgabe, die Bälle (7) laufend, wie sie ankommen, in den Vorratsbehälter (5) der Ballwurfmaschine (2) zu befördern.This ball transporter ( 1 ) has the task of continuously transporting the balls ( 7 ) as they arrive into the storage container ( 5 ) of the ball throwing machine ( 2 ).

Die Balltransporter (1) bisheriger Bauart wurden z. B. mit Druckluft betrieben und waren sehr laut und störanfällig. Man konstruierte Balltransporter (1) als großes Rad, das ähnlich den Lottomaschinen, die Bälle (7) mit einem Greifer in einem großen Rad, vom Niveau des Ballrichters (8) in die Höhe des Vorratsbehälters (5) der Ballwurfmaschine (2) ge bracht hat; das entspricht dem halben Durchmesser dieses Förderrades. Derartige Balltransporter sind sehr groß und damit aufwendig.The ball transporter ( 1 ) of the previous type were, for. B. operated with compressed air and were very loud and prone to failure. Ball transporter ( 1 ) was constructed as a large wheel which, similar to the lottery machines, brought the balls ( 7 ) with a gripper in a large wheel, from the level of the ball judge ( 8 ) to the level of the storage container ( 5 ) of the ball throwing machine ( 2 ) Has; that corresponds to half the diameter of this feed wheel. Ball transporters of this type are very large and therefore expensive.

Eine weitere Konstruktion bestand aus zwei Förderbändern, die mit Schaufeln (gegeneinander gerichtet) bestückt waren. Mit diesen Schaufeln wurden die Bälle (7) ergriffen und nach oben befördert. Durch Verklemmen der Bälle ist diese Lösung sehr störanfällig. Another construction consisted of two conveyor belts, which were equipped with buckets (directed towards each other). The balls ( 7 ) were gripped with these shovels and conveyed upwards. By jamming the balls, this solution is very prone to failure.

Die Nachteile des jetzigen Standes der Technik sind:The disadvantages of the current state of the art are:

- great technical effort - high manufacturing costs -
- susceptible to faults and repairs - great installation effort -
- great maintenance effort - high energy consumption -
- sometimes very loud

The object of the invention

Der Balltransporter (1) muß einfach im Konstruktionsprinzip sein, dazu billig in der Herstellung, geräuscharm, im Betrieb äußerst zuverlässig, langlebig, wartungsfrei, ballschonend, eine regulier bare Förderleistung und geringe Gesamtabmessungen haben und an passungsfähig an geforderte Hebe-Höhen sein.The ball transporter ( 1 ) must be simple in its construction principle, cheap to manufacture, low-noise, extremely reliable in operation, long-lasting, maintenance-free, gentle on the ball, have a controllable delivery capacity and small overall dimensions and be adaptable to the required lifting heights.

Auch in Feuchträumen muß dieser Balltransporter funktionssicher bleiben. Weiterhin soll der Installationsaufwand und der Energie verbrauch minimal sein.This ball transporter must also function reliably in damp rooms stay. Furthermore, the installation effort and energy consumption be minimal.

The solution of the invention task

Gemäß der Fig. 1 ist die konstruktive und somit mechanische Anordnung des erfindungsgemäßen Balltransporters (1) wie folgt realisiert: . According to the Fig 1, the constructive and thus mechanical arrangement of the bale transporter according to the invention (1) as follows is implemented:

1. On a mounting plate ( 17 ), which is perpendicular to the base plate, a rolling surface ( 10 ) and two pulleys (R 15 / R 16 ) were arranged so that the distance between the outer diameters of the pulleys (R 15 , R 16 ) and the rolling surface ( 10 ) is smaller than the outer diameter of the tennis balls ( 7 ) to be transported.
This arrangement also ensures that the distance between the belt ( 12 ) through the pulleys (R 15 / R 16 ) and the rolling surface ( 10 ) is also less than the outside diameter of the tennis balls ( 7 ).
2. The tennis balls ( 7 ) roll out of the outlet ( 9 ) from the ball judge ( 8 ) over the rolling surface ( 10 ) to the lower pulley (R 16 ), are detected there, according to the dimensional difference between the diameter of the tennis balls ( 7 ) Distance of the outside of the belt to the rolling surface ( 10 ) squeezed and now roll between the rolling surface ( 10 ) and the lower pulley (R 16 ) or then the belt ( 12 ) from the horizontal feed direction in the vertical direction upwards to the upper pulley (R 15 ). Here the tennis balls ( 7 ) are redirected from the vertical to the horizontal direction and roll under their own gravity from an internal drain ( 13 ) to an external drain ( 14 ). From this the tennis balls ( 7 ) fall vertically the Vorratsbe container ( 5 ) of the ball throwing machine ( 2 ).
The lateral guidance of the balls ( 7 ) is taken over by the mounting plate ( 17 ) and by an opposite cover plate (at the same time the cladding). The distance is so large that the squeezed ball still has enough sliding play on the side.

Claims

1. Ball transporter ( 1 ) according to the structural geometry and overall arrangement of FIG. 1, characterized in that a belt ( 12 ) by two fixed pulleys (R 15 / R 16 ) is driven and guided. Furthermore, at a fixed distance from the left upward rolling belt part ( 12 ), which is smaller in elastic spherical bodies than the diameter of the spherical body to be transported, for. B. tennis balls ( 7 ), a correspondingly shaped rolling surface ( 10 ) attached. Rolling in, elastic spherical bodies, e.g. B. tennis balls ( 7 ) are caught by the rotating belt ( 12 ) on the lower belt pulley (R 16 ), squeezed somewhat and now roll inevitably between the rotating belt ( 12 ) and the rolling surface ( 10 ) upwards.

2. Ball transporter ( 1 ), according to claim 1, characterized in that also elastic cylindrical bodies can be transported with this transport principle.

3. Ball transporter ( 1 ) according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that even hard spherical bodies and hard cylindrical spherical bodies can be transported if a soft molded part is used instead of the fixed rolling surface ( 10 ) and the pulleys (R 15 / R 16 ) spring loaded ge. Applications are also conceivable in which one of these changes is sufficient.

4. Ball transporter ( 1 ) according to claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the ball transporter ( 1 ) is driven by a speed-adjustable electric motor and thus the delivery rate is variable.

5. Ball transporter ( 1 ) according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that this transport principle with all common types of belts such. B. flat, round and V-belts can be realized.

6. Ball transporter ( 1 ) according to claims 1 to 5, characterized in that this transporter ( 1 ) can also transport spherical bodies without lateral guidance if the rolling surface ( 10 a) is designed as a prism as shown in Fig. 4. It is also possible to leave the rolling surface ( 10 ) unchanged and to form the belt ( 12 a) on the outer surface with a groove adapted to the round body as shown in FIG. 2, or one forms the belt ( 12 b) the outer surface as a prism as shown in Fig. 3 Darge.

7. Ball transporter ( 1 ) according to claims 1 to 6, characterized in that this transport principle can also be implemented without a belt if one only trans ported with a disc. The lifting height then corresponds to the diameter of this disc.

8. Ball transporter ( 1 ) according to claims 1 to 7, characterized in that this transporter can be transported in any direction.

9. Ball transporter ( 1 ) according to claims 1 to 8, characterized in that this transporter is suitable for any heights.

10. Ball transporter ( 1 ) according to claims 1 to 9, characterized in that there are no synchronization problems with the approaching bodies with this transporter principle.

11. Ball transporter ( 1 ) according to claims 1 to 10, characterized in that when using suitable materials the transporter remains functional even outdoors.

12. Ball transporter ( 1 ) according to claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the conveyor belt is operated with an electric motor and thereby the transporter ( 1 ) operates quietly.

13. Ball transporter ( 1 ) according to claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the combination of the ball transporter ( 1 ) with the ball judge ( 8 ), which separates the balls ( 7 ) with a perforated carousel, cooperates optimally.