FR2640883A1 - Installation for the game of bowls - Google Patents

Abstract

The installation comprises a plane and rectilinear alley 1 bordered by low walls 3, the said alley 1 being formed by the upper faces of units 2 assembled end to end; one of these units, the first one 5, serves as a location for the player; another unit, known as the impact unit 23, is equipped with a device for supplying and positioning a bowl 24 in equilibrium, the said impact unit 23 being bordered, on one side, by a bowl collector unit 4 and, on the other side, by a bowl recovery unit 20, these units 4, 20 being connected to a bowl dispensing device which sends the bowls back to a location close to the player or to the said device for supplying and positioning a bowl. For the "leaping" game of bowls, the impact unit 23 includes a stationary screen bowl 25.

Description

INSTALLATION FOR BALL SET
There are already facilities for bowling. well known to the public under the name bowling.

 In this game, ten pins are automatically arranged in a triangle at the end of a smooth aisle.

 The player has two balls which he throws one after the other by rolling them towards the pins. The skittles and the balls are collected in a hatch at the end of the alley and the mechanism of the installation comprises at the same time a device which brings back the balls t the other end of the alley to the level of the player and a device of replacement of the skittles.

 In addition, there is a game of boules in the South of France, known as the jump game. This game is played with three pétanque balls, on a ground that is substantially flat, and consists of installing two balls on the ground. one target ball, the other screen ball, spaced from each other by a distance equal to the diameter of a ball. In the alignment defined by these two balls, the player stands ten meters from the first ball and tries. pulling with the third ball, dislodge the farthest ball without hitting the first ball closest.

 Different situations can occur: the shot is successful and the ball which has been thrown and the ball which has been struck roll on the ground away from the first ball; the shot is not successful. or that no ball is struck.

or that the first ball is hit.

 If the thrown ball hits a ball, this means that the three balls are scattered on the ground and everything must be replaced before you can make a second shot in the conditions of the first shot. It should be noted that if this jump game is an excellent training for shooting. as for petanque, it requires security measures when you know that the ball weighs from 0.62 to 0.80 kg. Furthermore. after a first shot, it takes a while to put the balls back. shooter and audience in place. before you can make a second shot.

 The Applicant has set himself the goal of automating this jump shooter game so that a player is close to where he is. a stock of balls to shoot under the conditions of the jump shooting.

without the need to manually replace the balls after each shot, and obtaining a score and / or a visualization of the accuracy of his shot (s).

 The Applicant set himself first of all as the first goal of obtaining a device, robust, for feeding and positioning a ball in equilibrium at a level close to a surface. so as to be able to dislodge a balanced ball by the brutal impact of a pétanque ball launched from a distance of about 10 m.

 This object is achieved by the object of the present invention which consists of a device for feeding and positioning a ball in equilibrium at a level close to that of a surface. comprising a supply line for balls, characterized in that said pipe opens into a substantially vertical well, of a diameter slightly greater than that of the ball, containing a support cylinder capable of moving therein under the action of 'A reversible translation means between a high limit position and a low limit position, and a means of detecting the presence of a ball on its upper face. connected by means of connection to a central control unit for the reversible translation means. This detection may be preferably located in the support cylinder, but can also be drilled elsewhere; in particular, it is capable of eliminating false positive detections.

The detection means may other, for example, a micro-contact actuated by the weight of a ball but, preferably, is a photoelectric emitter-receiver cell housed in an axial cylindrical recess of the support cylinder,
This last device. thanks to the presence of a photocell is not very sensitive to shock and very reliable.

 It can also be used for golf balls.

 Another object of the present invention is a ball game installation comprising a flat and straight aisle bordered by low walls characterized in that said aisle is formed by the upper faces of blocks assembled end to end, one of these blocks, the first. serves as a location for the player, another block, called an impact block. is equipped with a device for feeding and positioning a ball in equilibrium, said impact block being bordered on one side by a block for collecting balls and on the other side by a block for recovering balls, these blocks being connected to a device for distributing balls which returns the balls to a location close to the player or to the device for feeding and positioning a ball.

This installation automates the shooting of the player to dislodge the target ball in balance and has the advantage of constituting an excellent means of training in shooting in the game of pétanque,
This installation can be installed outdoors or indoors, In the latter case, the blocks, impact, ball collector, ball recovery are arranged in pits arranged in a ground so as to put the upper faces of these blocks in the extension of a coating of this ground forming an alley, the other blocks then being replaced by said coating.

Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will emerge from the description which follows, by way of example, with reference to the appended schematic drawings in which
- Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the installation for a game of bowling balls
- Figure 2 shows a top view of part of the aisle with slabs and slabs sensitive to the weight of a ball, near the target ball in equilibrium
- Figures 3a and 3b show a sectional view of the feed and positioning device of a target ball balanced on the support cylinder
- Figure 4 shows in detail the support cylinder of the target ball
- Figure 5 shows a sectional view along
VV of figure 1
- the. Figure 6 shows a sectional view of one of the sensitive tiles; ;
- Figure 7 shows a sectional view of the sensitive slabs in the vicinity of the balls when they are in an inclined position under the weight of the balls drawn
- Figure 8 shows a detailed perspective view and enlarged of the device for collecting and distributing the balls of Figure 5;
- Figure 9 shows a section of Figure 8 along the line IX-IX.

 The installation of FIG. 1 comprises an aisle 1 of approximately 12 m long by approximately 2 m wide, practically horizontal and raised above the ground, formed by the upper faces of parallel pine forests or blocks 2. assembled end to end and held together by removable fixing means, not shown. These blocks are hollow and can accommodate the various mechanisms and conduits of the installation. be each side of the aisle 1, in contact with the side faces of the blocks 2 stands a protective wall 3 also composed of several removable elements. The low wall 3 on the left houses a return duct 6 for the balls. The far end of aisle 1 ends with a ball collector 4 having a height approximately equal to that of the protective walls. The front end of aisle 1 is open, allowing a player to climb onto the first block 5 using an inclined ramp not shown. On this first block on the left against the wall 3 is arranged a distributor 10 of balls. This dispenser works with coins. The introduction of a determined sum makes it possible to actuate the lever 11, fixed to the wall 3, to cause a determined number of balls to fall into the receptacle 12 of balls made available to the player. On the upper face of block 5 in the immediate vicinity of the second block 13. the location provided for the player when the shooting starts is materialized by a square 14 located at equal distance from the protective walls 3. Block 13 continues with the blocks 15 and 16. The upper faces of blocks 13. 15 and 16 form a continuous rolling surface for a pétanque ball and this flat and smooth surface preferably has a slight inclination so that a ball placed on the part of the aisle 1, corresponding to blocks 13 to 15. tends to roll very slowly towards the fifth block 20, known as the ball recovery block. This block 20 has an upper face comprising a solid canvas 21, stretched on its edges and cut in its center by two slots 22 arranged in a Greek cross and allowing the passage of a ball by gravity and its collection by a funnel connected to a pipe. located inside said block 20. A ball arriving gently on the canvas deforms it and is automatically led to the slot 22. The presence of this canvas 21 has the advantage of creating visual continuity for the player who thus is not out of place compared to a natural open-air configuration of the jump play.

The block 20 is followed by a so-called impact block 23, a top view of which is shown in FIG. 2. This block includes a ball supply device serving as a goal or target ball 24. The screen ball 25 is interposed, close to the target ball 24, between the latter and the player, to reproduce the space conditions of the jump play. The screen ball 25 is fixed to a frame of the block 23 so as to be able to oscillate under a shock before resuming a position of equilibrium as will be seen in detail below, with reference to FIG. 7. The upper face of the block impact 23 has four large slabs 30, four medium slabs 31 and thirteen slabs 32 as is more visible in Figure 2. The slabs 32 each have a detection system sensitive to the weight of a ball by a very small displacement elastic with respect to a corresponding lower support forming a chassis at a distance of the order of 0.5 to 2 mm. The movement of a slab relative to its corresponding support creates an electrical contact. therefore a signal which is analyzed as a function of time by an electrical discriminator capable of discerning the first signal from a succession of signals brought together over time and coming from different contacts,
the slabs 32 and their support form a very slightly convex surface, under the weight of a ball, so as to roll it on the periphery on the medium slabs 31 or large slabs 30. These slabs 30, 31, in addition to have a detection system similar to that of the slabs are organized so as to establish a sort of line for dividing the balls so as to make them roll either towards the block 20 for collecting the balls, or towards the collecting block 4 of balls. as described in detail below, with reference to FIG. 2. Thus the installation of the installation in a well-determined position thanks, for example, to the use of a spirit level placed in different places of the installation, in particular low walls 3, blocks 5. 13, -15, 16, above the collector 4 of balls allows by actuation of positioning jacks (not shown) positioned under the blocks of the installation to orient the aisle well 1 relative to the horizontal plane. This good orientation obtained by a good adjustment provides spatial instability of any ball on the aisle 1 with the exception of the portion of the aisle formed by the upper face of the first block 5 which is substantially horizontal. At the end of the driveway, after the impact block 23. the track is blocked by a vertical fabric 35 rotatably mounted on a substantially horizontal axis disposed about at the top of the walls 3 This fabric 35 has two functions: that of stopping the balls drawn too long by an overly energetic player and that of opening like a hatch to collect the balls in the collector 4 which is provided with a funnel 36 with balls, connected to a device for collecting and distributing balls which will described in more detail later.

 At the entrance to aisle 1 is arranged at least one means of visualizing the impacts of the balls launched by the player. A first piece of furniture 40 is installed against the low wall 3 on the left. This piece of furniture includes a preferably polychrome video screen, which reproduces, in a stylized manner, a top view of the impact zone comprising the slabs 32 and the balls 24 and 25. The impacts of the three balls launched by the player s '' register by a more intense and flashing lighting of the ball 24 or 25 or the tiles 32 hit first.

This piece of furniture also contains an automatic card dispenser reproducing in a stylized manner from above the upper face of the impact block 23, with the places touched by the throwing of the player's three balls.

The affected places are visualized by a colored circle representing a ball, printed on the card with a score number whose maximum value is 1500. This score results from the summation of three successful shots on goal each time on a target ball 24 .

 Also at the entrance to aisle 1, but to the right. is placed a second piece of furniture 41, which displays on screen, for each of the three thrown balls, the score in points. as well as the total obtained. according to the values assigned to each slab or slab, as shown in Figure 2.

 The impact of a large slab gives a score of -300.

 The impact of an average slab gives a score of -300.

 The impact of the slabs gives a score of O to 200.

 The impact of the first ball 25 gives a score of 250. The impact of the second ball gives a score of + 500.

 FIG. 2 shows the arrangement of the large slabs 30, of the medium slabs 31. of the slabs 32 with respect to the position towards the center of the screen ball 25 and of the target ball 24. All around the slabs 32. a large slab 30 is associated with a medium slab 31 by a common underlying support to form overall. starting from the top left of Figure 2. a 2 then a g then a 9 then a t The corresponding supports are articulated in reversible pivoting around a substantially horizontal axis contained in a vertical plane passing through the right XX, line of separation balls. for their collection either by the collector 4, or by the block 20 for recovering the balls.

 The feed and target ball positioning device 24 visible in FIGS. 3a and 3b comprises under the upper face 42 of the impact block 23.

a pipe 45 for the arrival of the declining balls for advancing the balls under their own weight.

This pipe 45 opens into a well 46. of cylindrical shape of revolution, the diameter of which is slightly greater than the diameter of a pétanque ball. This well contains at its bottom a ball lift 47 serving as an elevator and support for the target ball 24.

 This ball lift here comprises a single-acting linear cylinder, the end of the rod 48 is provided with a support having the overall shape of a right cylindrical support of revolution 49 of height h. This is sufficient to serve as a stop for the reserve balls contained in the pipe 45, when the support cylinder is in the upper limit position. This cylinder can also be chosen from telescopic cylinders or replaced by a rack and pinion system.

 The support cylinder 49 has a diameter slightly smaller than that of the well 46 and its structure is shown in detail in FIG. 4.

 In this FIG. 4, the support cylinder 49 comprises an axial cylindrical recess 50 having a bottom 51. On this bottom is fixed a photoelectric cell 52 transmitter-receiver which sends an infrared beam upwards and along the axis of the cylinder -support 49 The latter has a removable cover 53 held by screws not shown. This cover 52 has a through bore 54 co-axial with the axis of the cylindersupport 49. This bore has a diameter sufficient for a pétanque ball to be able to slightly engage there and thereby be partially held in position. This results in a certain "descent" of the ball relative to the level of the upper face 55 of the cover 53.

therefore of the support cylinder 49 This descent or difference in height can be compensated for by a height adjustment of the position of the jack in the well 46. so that the ball 24 is at the same level as the screen ball 25.

 The photoelectric cell is connected to three sliding contacts 60, 61, 62 on corresponding conductive rails arranged along generatrices of the cylindrical well 46.

 The support cylinder has two limit positions.

a high position (Figure 3a) and a low position (Figure 3b). When the bore 54 is not covered with a ball reflecting the infrared beam. the equilibrium position is the low position, while if the infrared beam is reflected by a ball, the equilibrium position is the high position.

 In the low position. the upper face 55 of the cover is in line with the bottom of the pipe 45 and the column of reserve balls advances by one ball to accommodate a ball on the cover 53.

As the well is of a diameter close to that of a ball, the ball which is engaged comes to be placed on the bore 54. The infrared beam is then returned to the receiver of the photoelectric cell 52, this which triggers an electrical signal which is transmitted by one of the sliding contacts 60. 61. 62 to a control unit (not shown). This then controls the raising of the jack to its limit extension position corresponding to the required position of the ball 24.

behind the screen ball 25.

 If ball 24 is dislodged by a shot from the player. the infrared beam no longer being reflected, a corresponding electrical signal is sent to a control unit, which will then control the descent of the jack to its low position in order to allow the advancement of a ball on the cover 53 and the cylinder -support 49 goes up to get in the high position.

 Figure 5, sectional view along V-V of Figure 1, shows the general organization of the installation and, in particular. part of the device for collecting and distributing balls.

 The funnel 36 then has in its central part a hole 60 of diameter slightly greater than that of the balls and connected to a pipe which begins with a vertical well 61 which is extended by an elbow 62 which, itself. is connected to line 45 of the target ball supply device. This bend 62 causes a change in orientation between the vertical of the well 61 and the axis of the pipe 45 equal to about 90 ′ increased by the slope of the pipe 45 which is of straight orientation. Immediately after the bend 62 , in an end zone of the pipe 45, is plugged in another overflow pipe 85 of balls, as shown in detail in FIG. 8, and commented below. The recovery block 20 also includes a funnel which channels the ball into a declining conduit 64 to bring them into a low collection area 65. This low collection area also communicates with said overflow pipe.

 A return device of the type known in bowling machines raises the balls from the lower collection zone to send them into the return pipe for the balls 6 (FIG. 1>.

 Instead of the bowling-type deflection device, it is possible to use a ball-lifts like those with jacks or cremailîpre described above. However. the support cylinder containing the photocell is not used. view of the height of the race, from stop to the reserve balls of the low collection area. This stop is replaced by a retractable protruding stop controlled according to the electrical indications of the photocell supplied to the control unit. The effect of this stop is that the reserve balls do not get stuck in the well of the ball lift. When the support cylinder has arrived with its ball, in the high position. a retractable piston, oriented along the axis of the return duct 6 of the balls and controlled by a timer from the control unit. pushes the ball into said conduit 6. If the photoelectric cell of this ball lift is very sensitive, this infrared beam is installed in the open air, as in the previously described case, by removing any fixed obstacle in the path of the beam by means of a bore. appropriate.

 Figure 5 also shows how the sup; ports of the slabs 30 and 31 are articulated in the vicinity of the axis X-X and urged upwards by springs 70 so as to take a horizontal position.

Under the weight of a ball, these supports collapse to form, according to the position of the ball, an inclined plane, represented in the figure by a broken line, ending inside the recovery block 20 or the collecting block 4.

 FIG. 6 shows how the slabs or slabs 30, 31, 31 are kept apart from their support 71 under the action of springs 72 of low tension.

The slabs or slabs have a conductive metal sheet bonded to their underside 73. The support 71 has on its upper face a metal sheet facing but separated by a thin layer of air from the metal sheet of the face 73. The impact or the weight of a ball establishes a short circuit of the capacitor thus formed, with the production of a signal which is transmitted by wires not shown to the control unit.

 Figure 7 shows details of Figure 5.

 The screen ball 25 is fixed to one end of a bar 74 in an elastomer to be able to oscillate under an impact. This bar is itself fixed in a bore made in a part forming part of the frame of the block 23. The bar 74 has a passage for a conductor which connects the ball 25 and gives it a certain polarity. In the vicinity of the ball 25 is arranged, on the upper face of the block 23, a metal flange 80 in the form of a cup which surrounds the bar 74. This metal flange 80 is connected to an electric wire of a circuit. In equilibrium, the ball 25 does not make contact with the collar, but under the impact of a ball launched by a player. The ball 25 and the collar establish at least one electrical contact analyzed by the control unit.

 Figure 8 shows an enlargement of certain details of Figure 5 to better understand the structure and operation of the device for collecting and distributing the balls.

 The overflow pipe 85 is of a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the pipe 45 and is connected in a substantially orthogonal manner in the straight end region 64 of said pipe 45, forming a junction 63 and so as to have a certain gradient.

 A ball which rolls in the funnel 35 ends up falling in the well 61. The fall in this well and the passage in the elbow 62 confers on this ball a kinetic energy which precipitates it in the pipe 45, if the latter does not is not blocked up to junction 63. Thus the pipe 45. partially or completely empty of ball, has priority to collect the balls.

 FIG. 9 shows the situation in the case where the pipe 45 is filled with balls up to the junction 63. The position of this junction 63 is determined so that the last ball 90 of the column of balls which extends up to to the support cylinder 49, ie tangent in extension of the internal cylindrical surface of the overflow pipe 85. An additional ball 91 strikes the column of balls in an elastic shock and after a few oscillations comes into balance very unstable on the point 92, top of the edges, result of the connection of the inner cylindrical surfaces of the pipes 45 and 85.

 The ball 91 under the action of vibrations or the shock of another ball coming from the funnel 36 is then projected into the pipe of the overflow 85 which directs it towards the low collection zone 65 (FIG. 5).

 To favor the priority of the pipe 45 over the overflow pipe 85, it is possible, during manufacture. to somehow truncate the point 92 so as to increase the width of the tread of the balls of the pipe 45 at the passage of the junction 63. The point 92 is then replaced by a portion of narrow strip which guides the ball according to the pipeline trajectory 45.

 There is also provided at junction 63 a lateral orifice on the pipe 45 opposite the mouth of the pipe 85 to loosen the balls if necessary using a rod.

The use of the installation according to the present invention is as follows
A player climbs on the first block 5. 11 activates the ball distributor 10 by paying the amount due in cash and receives three balls by actuating the lever 3
He shoots each ball one after the other to try to dislodge the target ball 24.

After each shot, the accuracy of the shot is displayed on the screens of the furniture 40. 41 at the entrance to aisle 1
At the end of the third shot, the piece of furniture 40 delivers a card reproducing the impact zones of the balls drawn as well as the final score obtained by the player.

Claims (11)

 I. A device for feeding and positioning a ball in equilibrium at a level close to that of a surface, comprising a pipe for feeding balls (45), characterized in that said pipe (45) opens into a substantially vertical well (46), of a diameter slightly greater than that of the ball, containing a ball support cylinder (49) capable of moving therein under the action of a reversible translation means between a upper limit position and a bisse limit position, and and means for detecting the presence of a ball on the upper face. connected by means of electrical connection (60,61,62) to a central control unit of the reversible translation means.  2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said detection means is a photoelectric transmitter-receiver cell housed in an axial cylindrical recess 50 of the support cylinder (49).  3. Installation for a ball game comprising a flat and straight path (1) bordered by low walls (3), characterized in that said path (t) is formed by the upper faces of blocks (2) assembled end to end, one of these blocks, the first (5) serves as a location for the player. another so-called impact block (23) is provided with a device for feeding and positioning a ball in equilibrium. said impact block (23) being bordered, on one side, by a collecting block (4> balls and, on the other side, by a ball recovery block (20), these blocks (4 , 20) being connected to a ball distribution device which returns the balls to a location close to the player or to said device for supplying and positioning a ball.  4. Installation according to 1. claim 3. characterized in that the impact block (23) comprises a fixed ball-screen (25), but which can oscillate, spaced from the ball in equilibrium by a distance equal to the diameter of a ball.  5. Installation according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the impact blocks (23>. ball collector (4), for collecting balls (20), are arranged in pits arranged in a ground so that the upper faces of these blocks are in the extension of a covering of this ground forming an aisle, the other blocks then being replaced by said coating.  6. Installation according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that said device for supplying and positioning a target ball in equilibrium comprises a supply pipe (55) which opens into a well (46 ) substantially vertical, of a diameter slightly greater than that of the ball, containing a cylinder ball support (49} able to move therein under the action of a reversible translation means between an upper limit position and a limit position lower, said support cylinder 49 comprising a means of detecting the presence of a ball on the upper face, connected by connection means (60, 61, 62> to a central control unit of the reversible translation means.  7. Installation according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that said impact block (23) comprises an upper face comprising slabs (30,31> and slabs (32) having a weight-sensitive detection system of a ball.  8. Installation according to claim 7, characterized in that in addition the slabs (30.31) each have an underlying support articulated in reversible pivoting under the weight of a ball, around a substantially horizontal axis to bring the ball in the collecting block (4> or the recovery block (20)  9. Installation according to any one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that it comprises in the vicinity of the screen ball (25) a flange (80) capable of establishing electrical contact with said screen ball when the latter receives a ball thrown by a player,  10. Installation according to any one of claims 3 to 8, characterized in that the supelivure face of the recovery block (20) of the balls comprises a fabric (21) stretched over its edges and cut towards its center with an opening for the passage of a ball.  11. Installation according to any one of claims 3 to 10, characterized in that it further comprises at least one means for displaying the impacts of the balls launched by a player.