EP0179831A1

EP0179831A1 - Ball throwing machine for simulators of tennis, squash and the like

Info

Publication number: EP0179831A1
Application number: EP19850902051
Authority: EP
Inventors: Michel Roger Leneveu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-04-18
Filing date: 1985-04-18
Publication date: 1986-05-07
Also published as: FR2563111A1; WO1985004815A1; FR2563111B1

Abstract

Le lance-balles comprend une trémie d'alimentation débouchant dans un couloir défini entre une surface de guidage et une roue mue en rotation par des moyens appropriés, ladite roue étant adaptée à entraîner les balles provenant de la trémie jusqu'à un orifice d'éjection. L'accès au couloir, depuis la trémie (3), est muni d'organes escamotables (100) susceptibles de s'opposer à l'entrée des balles dans le couloir, l'escamotage desdits organes (100) étant commandé par tout moyen convenable (114) agissant pendant une période suffisamment brève pour ne permettre que l'entrée d'une seule balle à la fois dans ledit couloir.The ball launcher comprises a feed hopper opening into a passage defined between a guide surface and a wheel driven in rotation by suitable means, said wheel being adapted to drive the balls coming from the hopper to an orifice. ejection. Access to the lane, from the hopper (3), is provided with retractable members (100) capable of opposing the entry of balls into the lane, the retraction of said members (100) being controlled by any means suitable (114) acting for a sufficiently short period of time to allow only one ball to enter said lane at a time.

Description

Ball thrower for tennis _, squash and derivative simulators.

The present invention relates to a ball launcher for a tennis, squash and derivatives simulator, of the type comprising a feed hopper opening into a passage defined between a guide surface and a wheel rotated by suitable means, said wheel being adapted driving the bales from the hopper to an ejection port.

In the current state of the art, the ball launchers integrated in the simulators have a stable throwing rate which can only be changed by intervening on the ball launcher, which is equipped with a ball feed system. synchronized with the launch device.

To vary the ejection rate without intervening on the ball launcher, one can only modify the number of balls used. If the player uses only one ball, it is the same ball that will be returned to him and he will have the time necessary for the ball to pass through the hopper and the ball launcher to get back into position. If he uses two or three balls, the frequency will increase accordingly.

However, it would be desirable to have throwing rates independent of the drive of the ball launcher, even when using several balls.

This is the aim of the invention, which is achieved in the sense that access to said corridor, from the hopper, is provided with retractable members capable of opposing the entry of the balls. in the lane, the retraction of said members being controlled by any suitable means acting for a sufficiently short period to allow only one ball to enter at a time into said lane.

In practice, the retractable members consist of a movable mounted part subjected to a force systematically returning it to the position of obstructing access to the passage.

Thus, the part can be mobile in rotation or in translation, and the force returning it to the obstructed position. tion could be simple gravity, if the part has sufficient unbalance, or the force of a return spring.

It is understood that, in this way, the rhythm of the ejection of the balls no longer depends on the drive of the ball launcher, the latter being able to run empty if the retractable members prevent access to the corridor leading to the ball. ejection port.

This slowing down of the ejection rate is appreciable for beginner players. To allow, however, faster ejection of the balls, better suited to an experienced player, the ball launcher according to the invention further comprises retractable means capable of occupying an advanced position in which they cooperate with the retractable members to obstruct access to the passage, or a retracted position in which they widen this access to the point that the balls can pass freely from the hopper to the passage, even with the retractable members in the obstructed position. The ball launcher according to the invention can be integrated into a tennis, squash and derivatives simulator, comprising a frame supporting a stop net adapted to cushion a ball thrown against it and to direct this ball towards the feed hopper of the Ball launchers, in which case the control means of the retractable members can react to the impact of a ball in the net, for example mechanically or electrically from one or more ropes depending on said net.

According to another solution, the control means of the retractable members can be constituted by a system sending an electrical signal when it detects the passage of a ball, either returned by the player towards the net, or ejected by the ball launcher. , an adjustable timer relay capable of delaying the movement of the retractable means in response to this electrical signal.

Detection can be done using photoelectric cells or by radar. To increase the power of the ejection at will, part of the guide surface is advantageously formed of a movable ramp mounted to pivot.

This allows the ball to be squeezed more or less against the drive wheel, which ball will be thrown with more energy the tighter it was.

Preferably, a part of the guide surface, which may or may not be said ramp, is movable in translation, to vary the firing angle. For the same purpose, it is also desirable for the ball launcher to include means suitable for modifying the orientation of the wheel / guide surface assembly.

The use of a single training wheel results in the ball being ejected with an effect defined as 1.5 as "lift" in sports parlance. This effect is interesting but it is sometimes good to reduce it, especially in the use of 1 device by novice players.

In an improved form of the ball launcher according to the invention, this "lift" effect can be reduced or eliminated by providing, in the vicinity of the ejection orifice, in a plane parallel to the plane of the drive wheel. balls, a leaf spring, one end of which is free and capable of being bent by an adjusting member to come more or less into the space of the jection orifice.

This lamella takes the ball from the side after said ball has already been released from the pressure exerted by the drive wheel. 0 Preferably, the end of the strip opposite its free end is secured to a plate movable in translation in a plane parallel to that of the drive wheel.

The advantage of this arrangement is to place, at will, the end of the spring leaf beyond, in alignment with or below the walls defining the ejection orifice. Indeed, it has been found that, if the leaf spring is aligned with the extreme edge of the output of the ball, the latter is ejected along the axis of said lane. If the lamella is recessed, the bale is ejected to the left. If the lamella is prominent, the bale is ejected to the right. It becomes obvious that if we move the plate which supports the spring blade from front to back, so that said blade constantly passes from the "back" position to the "prominent" position, the bullet will go. either to the right, to the left or to the axis without the player being able to predict this direction. To this end, the plate is advantageously subjected to the effect of an eccentric mechanism.

The invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

- Figure 1 is an overall and schematic view of the tennis simulator and its use,

- Figure 2 is a sectional view of the ball launcher according to the invention, the retractable members and the retractable means not however being shown for the

^• clarity of the drawing, - figure 3 and figure 4 represent the junction zone between the hopper and the passage of the ball launcher with the retractable means in their advanced position (figure 3) and retracted (figure 4),

- Figure 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the retractable members,

- Figure 6 shows a first example of control means for retractable members,

- Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating another possible control means for the retractable members, and - Figure 8 shows, in section, the means to reduce or eliminate the effect of "lift" and modify the angle d ejection of the ball.

It is understood, from Figure 1, that the ball 1, ejected from the ball launcher 5 - is returned by the player's racket from point 1 * to the net 2, that the ball cushioned by said net falls into the hopper 3 and that the latter, via a chute 4, reintroduces said ball in the ball launcher 5 which returns it to the player. The various components are integral with a frame 6 which ensures the stability of the whole.

It also emerges from Figure 1 that the net 2 consists of a front net 7 and a rear net 8. The latter is fixed at its upper part on the upper cross member 9 of the frame and at its lower part on the frame. the 3- H hopper is not necessary to provide fixings on the posts of the frame. This net must not be stretched, neither horizontally nor vertically. However, in this axis, it must be sufficiently loose without forming a pocket that can trap the ball and prevent the latter from falling into the hopper. The front net 7 is, for its part, stretched at its upper part or at least suspended at a sufficient number of points to remain perfectly horizontal between two brackets 11 which maintain a suitable spacing between the two nets.

The general structure of the ball launcher is shown in figure 2.

An electric or pneumatic motor not shown drives, directly or via pulleys and belts or gears also not shown, a toothed wheel 18 mounted on bearings. The ball 1 which falls by gravity into the ball launcher is guided at the end of the stroke by the guide 21 which directs said ball towards the constriction formed by the ramp 22. The toothed wheel 18 which rotates at approximately 3000 rpm in the direction of the arrow, ejects the ball outwards following a trajectory which varies only as a function of the diameter of said ball. The teeth 23 of the wheel limit the relative sliding of the ball and maintain grip. We can vary the. power of the shot by modifying the gully between the wheel 18 and the ramp 22 to more or less crush the bullet. To this end, a very simple device is used since it consists of a soft button 24 which screws a threaded rod 25 into a nut 26 welded to the frame, said threaded rod modifying - £ -

at will the angle of the ramp articulated around the pivot 27- It is also possible to obtain an identical result by keeping a constant throat and crushing of the bale and by varying the speed of the motor with a mechanical, electrical or electronic.

To modify the firing angle, it suffices to incline the whole of the ball launcher more or less with respect to the sole 28 of the frame as shown in phantom. It can also be envisaged, to vary the firing angle, a device composed of a U-shaped shoe 30 moved horizontally by a threaded rod 31 integral with said frame but free to rotate which is screwed into a welded nut 32. on the frame, by means of the button 33 - a system whose purpose is to move the articulation point 27 of the ramp 22 relative to the toothed wheel 18. As a variant, the ramp 22 could not be movable only in rotation and not in translation, the translational movement in this case affecting the guide 21.

The chute at the lower part of the hopper 3 can be fixed to the top of the ball launcher by a pin 29.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the ball launcher is equipped with a pull tab 101 in which a slot 102 allows movement in the axis of the throw, movement limited at each end by the threaded rod 103, the knurled knob 104 serving, for its part, to immobilize the zipper in the correct position. When the zipper is in. retracted position (Figure 4), the ball 105 which is at the base of the chute of the feed hopper falls directly and is ejected immediately. When the pull tab 101 is in the advanced position (FIG. 3), the bullet which presents itself is stopped by the neck formed by the lower range 106 of the pull tab and the front cross member 107 of a retractable movable part 100. This part 100 is articulated in 108 on the frame of the ball launcher. In order for the ball thus stopped to enter the ball launcher, it suffices to rotate the part 100 by exerting a traction in the direction of the arrow in figure 3- The tongue 109 of the part 100 has two functions, on the one hand, it limits the movement of the cross member 107 which must be in position

"closing" when it is resting on the bottom of the housing, on the other hand, it prevents two balances from being introduced.

5 yours at the same time, the first ball returning the part 100 to the "closed" position as soon as it has passed and has come into contact with the drive wheel 18 (toothed or non-toothed wheel) by pressing on said tongue. Cross member 107 is heavy enough so that the unbalance

10 created by this weight maintains the closure of the neck in use condition and independently of vibrations and other external phenomena.

As can be seen from figure 5, the part 100, instead of pivoting about an axis, could move vertically in two 1.5 grooves 16.

Figure 6 is an overall view which shows an example of the control system of the part 100. In the rear net 8 is integrated a weft or "octopus" which can be composed of three lines 112 relatively taut, and 0 attached to one of their ends on the frame 113 * of the simulator, frame which supports the set of nets. These lines are connected together at their other end and are extended at their base by a line 114 connected directly to the crossbar 107 of the piece 100. When a ball thrown by the player crashes on the front net 7 of reception, the shock, due to the sinking of said net, is reflected directly on the rear net 8 in which the weft or "octopus" is integrated and almost woven. The logical and observed result is that the rope 114, rising suddenly 0, exerts a traction on the cross member 107 with the consequence of the pivoting of the part 100 which then allows the waiting bale to pass through the neck. The arrangement and the number of ropes made of stable or elastic material and which make up the weft or "octopus" 5 may be different from what has just been described, the ideal being that the shock made by the ball is reflected on the frame. rope 114 wherever the ball lands - S -

across the entire landing net.

It is obvious that the ejector can be controlled by a system other than the frame or "octopus": as seen in FIG. 7, it is possible to envisage a device 200 which sends an electrical signal to an electro magnet 201 controlling the movement of the retractable part 100 when the passage of a bullet 1 interrupts the light beam emitted by a source 204 in directio of a photoelectric cell 202, that is to say before said

10 ball reaches the net 7, 8, that is to say as soon as the ball has been ejected by the ball launcher 5, a timer relay 20 can be provided to be able to more or less delay the triggering of the part 100 after detection.

Instead of a photocell system, o

1.5 could use an appropriately placed radar system e scanning a zone through the ball between the ejector e ^r racket, or between the racquet and the net, said Systèm emitting an electric signal the passage of a ball dan its detection field. This signal would then be transmitted

20 electrically or by infrared procé_dé to an electromagnet controlling the rotation of the part 100 and, consequently, the opening of the bottleneck.

It is also possible to envisage controlling the electro-ai mant, which actuates the part 100, by an electric signal.

2.5 emitted by the deformation or the tension of a rope used to suspend its upper part the receiving score, fili wherein is ^integrated an electrical component coupure-, said rope being responsive to any impact of ball into the receiving thread that he supports.

Turning to Figure 8, it can be seen that, in order to reduce or eliminate the "lift" effect, the adjustment of the pressure on the ball can be obtained by means of a button 301 which deforms a ball. leaf spring 302 integral with a rigid plate 303, pressed against the

35 flank 304 of the bale exit lane.

As stated above, it has been found that when the leaf spring 302 is aligned with the ridge opposite 305 from the bale outlet lane, the latter is ejected along the axis of said lane. If the lamella is recessed, the bale is ejected to the left. If the lamella is prominent, the bale is ejected to the right. A back and forth movement can be obtained with a geared motor 306 which rotates an eccentric 307. The latter gives a reciprocating movement to the guide plate 303, the spacer 308 of which moves in a slot 309 of which it is trapped. It is understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown. In particular, the drive wheel could not be toothed. Instead of being returned to the position of obstructing access to the corridor by simple gravity, the part 100 could be subjected to the action of a return spring. The control means of the part 100 could be constituted by a shock detector with an electrical cut-off component placed at the inlet of the hopper.

Claims

[received by the International Bureau on October 25, 1985 (25.10.85); original claims 1—13 have been replaced by new claims 1—13 (3 pages)]

1 - Ball launcher for simulator. tennis, squash and derivatives, suitable for throwing, one by one, a succession of balls, said ball launcher comprising a feed hopper opening into a corridor defined between a guide surface and a wheel moved in rotation by appropriate means, said wheel being adapted to drive the balls coming from the hopper to an ejection orifice, access to said corridor, from the hopper (3) _. being provided with retractable members capable of opposing the entry of balls into the lane, and of only allowing the entry of a single ball at a time into said lane, characterized in that, to allow the access of a ball in said lane, said retractable members (100) are retracted under the effect of control means actuated by a previous ball of said series.

2 - Ball launcher according to claim 1, integrated into a tennis, squash and derivatives simulator, comprising a _. frame supporting a stop net adapted to cushion a ball thrown against it and to direct this ball towards the feed hopper of the ball launcher, characterized in that the control means of the retractable members (100) react to the impact of a ball in the net (2). 3 - Ball launcher according to claim 1, integrated into ^• a tennis, squash and derivatives simulator, comprising a frame supporting a stop net adapted to cushion a ball thrown against it and to direct this ball towards the feed hopper the ball launcher, characterized in that the control means of the retractable members (100) are actuated from one or more lines (114) depending on said net (2).

4 - Ball launcher according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means of the retractable members (100) are constituted by a system (200) sending an electrical signal when it detects the passage of a ball, is returned by the player in the direction of a net (2), is ejected by the ball launcher (5) _. an adjustable timer relay (203) capable of delaying the movement of the retractable means (100) in response to this electrical signal.

5 - Ball launcher according to claim 1, characterized in that the retractable members (100) consist of a movable mounted part subjected to a force systematically returning it to the position of obstructing access to the passage.

6 - Ball launcher according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises retractable means

(101) capable of occupying an advanced position (Figure 3) in which they cooperate with the retractable members (100) to obstruct access to the passage, or a retracted position (Figure 4) in which they widen this access to the point that the balls can pass freely from the hopper (3) to the corridor, even with the retractable members (100) in the obstructed position.

7 - Ball launcher according to claim 1, characterized in that part of the guide surface is formed of a movable ramp (22) pivotally mounted.

8 - Ball launcher according to claim 1, characterized in that part of the guide surface (21 or 22) is movable in translation.

9 - pitching machine according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises means (30, 31, _32.) Adapted to change the orientation of the wheel (l8) / guide surface (21, 22).

10 - Ball launcher according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises, in the vicinity of its ejection orifice, in a plane parallel to the plane of the drive wheel (18) of the balls, a leaf spring (302), one end of which is free and capable of being bent by an adjusting member (301) to come more or less encroaching on the space of the ejection orifice. 11 - Ball launcher according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises, in the vicinity of its ejec¬ tion orifice, in a plane parallel to the plane of the driven wheel ment (18) of the balls, a leaf spring (302), one end of which is free and capable of being bent by an adjusting member (301) to come more or less encroaching on the space of the ejection orifice and the other end of which (302) is integral with a plate (303) movable in translation in a plane parallel to that of the drive wheel (18).

12 - Ball launcher according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises, in the vicinity of its ejection orifice, in a plane parallel to the plane of the drive wheel (18) of the balls, a leaf spring (302), one end of which is free and capable of being bent by an adjusting member (301) to come more or less encroaching into the space of the ejection orifice and of which the other end (302 ) is integral with a plate (3 3) movable in translation in a plane parallel to that of the drive wheel (18), said plate (303) being subjected to the effect of an eccentric mechanism (307) -

13 - Ball launcher according to claim 1, characterized in that the stop net or front net (7) is suspended horizontally from the frame and in that it is doubled by a rear net (8) co- extensive and parallel to the front thread

(7) and removed from the latter.