JP2006197988A - Toss machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize stability mainly for the flying curve and directivity, etc., of a ball. <P>SOLUTION: This toss machine 1 relating to the embodiment is composed of a main body 2, a case cover 3 for covering the main body 2, and a stocker 4 for supplying the ball into the main body 2. The main body 2 comprises: a bottom plate 20; an adjustment plate 21 for adjusting the height position of the bottom plate 20; a ball guide 22 attached to the bottom plate 20 for guiding the rolling of the ball supplied from the stocker 4; a hitting plate 23 pivotally supported by a bearing plate 200 attached to the bottom plate 20 for hitting the ball at a prescribed position of the ball guide 22; an energizing spring 24 for energizing the hitting plate 23 in a ball hitting direction; a cam 25 pivotally supported by the bearing plate 200 for moving the hitting plate 23 against the energizing spring 24; a gear 26; reduction gears 27; a motor 28; and a battery 29. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a toss machine used for toss baseball and the like promoted by an applicant who is committed to popularizing boy baseball.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a toss machine in which a ball is launched from an oblique front of a batter toward the batter.

The toss machine of this Patent Document 1 includes a ball stocker that accommodates a ball, a curved ball guide that holds a ball delivered from the ball stocker, an action arm that launches a ball waiting in the ball guide, and the action The arm is composed of driving means for operating the ball in the direction of scooping up the ball at a predetermined timing.
JP-A-11-114118

The applicant is committed to promoting Toss baseball (baseball played by placing a toss machine in an infield approximately 1.5 meters from the home base, looking at this toss machine and hitting a ball launched from the toss machine) Therefore, the following problems are recognized for the toss machine.
First, the direction of the hitting force of the action arm with respect to the ball lacks accuracy, and as a result, the flight curve and directionality of the ball may become unstable.
That is, in the toss machine of Patent Document 1, the spring for applying the striking force to the action arm has one end in the middle of the action arm and the other end attached to the locking tool. The mounting position tends to be eccentric, and as a result, the flight curve and directionality of the ball may become unstable.
Secondly, the housing of the ball stocker has a substantially U-shaped cross section and is based on the premise that a specific ball is used. If different types of balls are used, it is difficult to supply a smooth ball. It seems to be.
Thirdly, the ball feeding device is configured to automatically supply the ball, but there is a relationship between the action of the action pin projecting on the shaft constituting the ball feeding device and the action of the action arm. It is unclear.
Fourthly, the motor for operating the action arm is said to be based on an ON operation by a switch and cannot be remotely operated.

  Therefore, the toss machine according to the present invention realizes stability with respect to the flight curve, directionality, etc. of the ball, is not limited to a single type of ball, can use various types of balls, It is an object to provide a toss machine capable of realizing automatic supply and further capable of remote operation.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the toss machine according to the present invention includes a launch plate for tossing a ball by rotating according to the rotation of the cam, and an urging spring portion for energizing the rotation of the launch plate in the toss direction. The urging spring portion is composed of two springs, a fixing bar to which one end of each spring is attached, and an adjustment step portion that can adjust the position of the fixing bar. A handle that is pivotally mounted around a fulcrum, a ball receiver that receives the ball, and is fixed so as to intersect the longitudinal direction of the handle, and substantially parallel to the left and right of the handle in the longitudinal direction of the handle It comprises an attachment arm for attaching the other end of each of the springs arranged, and a stopper that follows the rotation of the cam and stops the rotation of the hammering plate biased by the spring. Item 1).
In the above invention, the stocker for supplying a ball toward the ball receiver of the launch plate is constituted by at least four wire members (invention according to claim 2).

In the above invention, after the ball is hit by the hitting plate, a ball for the next hitting ball is supplied to the ball receiver, and the ball hitting ball for the next hitting ball is moved to the ball receiver while the hitting plate is rotating. An automatic ball supply device for stopping the supply of the sphere is provided (the invention according to claim 3).
In the above invention, a toss machine capable of remotely controlling a motor for driving the cam is provided (the invention according to claim 4).

According to the toss machine of the present invention, the accuracy of the hitting operation of the hitting plate is ensured, the hitting direction and hitting force of the ball are stabilized, and a stable flight curve of the ball can be realized.
Moreover, according to the stocker which comprises the toss machine of this invention, it is not limited to one kind of ball | bowl, Various balls can be smoothly supplied to a toss machine.
In addition, according to the automatic ball supply device that constitutes the toss machine of the present invention, it is possible to realize automatic supply of balls in conjunction with the ball launching operation.
Furthermore, according to the toss machine of the present invention, it is possible to provide a toss machine capable of tossing one ball at a time by remote operation instead of a continuous launching operation.

An embodiment of a toss machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 is a perspective view of a toss machine according to the embodiment, FIG. 2 is an internal perspective view of the toss machine with a case cover opened, FIG. 3 is a side view of the main part of the toss machine, and FIG. 4 is a front view of the main part of the toss machine. It is.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the stocker of the toss machine according to the embodiment.
6A to 6D are a configuration diagram of an automatic sphere supply device for a toss machine according to the embodiment and an operation explanatory diagram of the toss machine.
FIGS. 7A to 7C are configuration examples of a toss machine according to the embodiment when a remote controller is used.
In each of these drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the toss machine 1 according to the embodiment includes a main body 2, a case cover 3 that covers the main body 2, and a stocker 4 that supplies balls to the inside of the main body 2. The tossed ball has a stable flight curve, can use various balls from hard balls to soft balls, realizes automatic supply of balls, and can be operated remotely. .

  The main body 2 is attached to the bottom plate 20, an adjustment plate 21 (see FIG. 1) for adjusting the height position of the bottom plate 20, and the ball supplied from the stocker 4. A ball guide 22 for guiding, a launch plate 23 that is supported by a bearing plate 200 attached to the bottom plate 20 and strikes a ball at a predetermined position of the ball guide 22, and a launch plate 23 A biasing spring 24 that constitutes a biasing spring portion that biases in the direction; a cam 25 that is axially supported by the bearing plate 200 and that moves the striking plate 23 against the biasing spring 24; A gear 26 that is attached to the rotary shaft 250 of the cam 25 and applies a rotational force to the cam 25, a speed reducer 27 and a motor 28 that transmit the rotational force to the gear 26, and electric power to the motor 28. And it includes a feed to the battery 29.

The bottom plate 20 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and each corner is formed in a round shape according to the shape of the case cover 3 to prevent occurrence of an unexpected accident due to a collision with a ball or a collision with a player. is doing.
A notch 201 is provided at the center of the bottom plate 20 and below the punching plate 23 so that interference between the tip of the punching plate 23 reciprocating and the bottom plate 20 can be avoided.
As described above, the ball guide 22 and the bearing plate 200 are fixed to the upper surface of the bottom plate 20, and the adjustment plate 21 is disposed on the home base side of the lower surface of the bottom plate 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the adjusting plate 21 includes, for example, a shaft plate 210, and arm members 211 and 211 that are rotatably attached to the shaft plate 210 and extend to the left and right of the shaft plate 210. These arm members 211 and 211 are composed of screws 212 attached to the other ends.
According to such an adjusting plate 21, the arm members 211 and 211 are arranged in accordance with the ground state, and the height of the bottom plate 20 is adjusted by the screws 212, so that the ball launch angle of the main body 2 with respect to the ground can be adjusted. By adjusting, the flight curve of the ball launched from the main body 2 can be adjusted, or the speed of the ball can be changed.
Specifically, when the ball 212 of the main body 2 with respect to the ground is increased by adjusting the screw 212, the ball draws a parabola with a relaxed speed, which is suitable for practicing toss baseball and toss batting.
Moreover, since the ball with high speed flies in the horizontal direction by making the launch angle of the ball of the main body with respect to the ground smaller or minus, it can be used as a simple batting machine.
As shown in the blow-out diagram of FIG. 1, an absorbent material, such as a spring, rubber 213, etc., that absorbs vibration during operation of the punching plate 23 is disposed between the lower surface of the bottom plate 20 and the adjustment plate 21. May be.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the ball guide 22 is erected from the outer edges of both sides of the notch 201 of the bottom plate 20, and a pair of mountings formed so as to be removed from the home base side. The plate 220, a curved plate 221 hung near the home base of the mounting plate 220, and a guide piece 222 that is formed inside the upper end of each mounting plate 220 and assists the ball rolling.
The inclination of the mounting plate 220 is formed so that the ball hit from the hitting plate 23 of the toss machine 1 located about 1.5 meters from the home base of Toss baseball can fly to the strike zone of the batter. . In addition, you may comprise so that the inclination of the said mounting plate 220 can be adjusted freely.
The guide piece 222 is formed of, for example, a linear member having a substantially circular cross section, and is formed so that the contact area with the ball is minimized.
The bearing plate 200 is a pair of erected from the outside of each mounting plate 220, and a mounting frame for mounting a reciprocating fulcrum (shaft) 230 of the launch plate 23 and one end side of the biasing spring 24. In addition to mounting the rotary shaft 250 of the cam 25 and the gear 26 attached to the rotary shaft 250, a speed reducer 27, a motor 28 and a battery 29 are arranged.

The punching plate 23 is formed in a substantially spoon shape as shown in FIG. 2, and a handle 231 rotatably attached to the shaft (fulcrum) 230 and a ball receiver 232 for receiving the ball. And fixing arms 233, 233 (see FIG. 4) for fixing the other end sides of the two biasing springs 24, 24 while being fixed so as to intersect from both sides in the longitudinal direction of the handle 231. A stopper 234 is provided for following the rotation of the cam 25 and stopping the punching plate 23 biased by the biasing spring 24.
The handle 231 is made of a thin plate having a substantially U-shaped transverse cross section, and the shaft 230 is passed through opposing surfaces of the U-shape.
The ball receiver 232 has a concave center so that the ball can be easily stopped. By supporting the ball with a surface, it is possible to surely launch a hole, and to affect the seam of the ball, the groove on the ball surface, etc. It is difficult to do so, and even hard balls with loose seams can be accurately launched.
The mounting arm 233 has two urging springs 24, 24 attached at one end to the mounting frame 240 in a substantially parallel position, so that the mounting arm 233 is positioned at a substantially equidistant position symmetrical from the longitudinal center line of the handle 231. The other ends of the springs 24, 24 are attached. Then, the energy (biasing force) accumulated in the biasing springs 24 and 24 is equally applied to the handle 231 to stabilize the flight curve of the ball tossed by the hitting plate 23.
The stopper 234 is composed of a bolt that is stretched over a fixed piece extending from each of the U-shaped upper ends of the handle 231 and a cushioning material such as rubber attached to the outside thereof. Are in contact.
As described above, the stopper 234 is driven by the cam 25 and also functions as a stopper for stopping the punching plate 23. However, the stopper 234 is assumed to function as the stopper. An adjustment stopper that can adjust the stop position may face the U-shaped bottom surface of the handle 231.

As described above, each of the biasing springs 24, 24 is attached to the attachment frame 240 and the other end is attached to the attachment arm 233.
That is, each end of the urging spring 24 is attached to the fixing bar 241. The fixing bar 241 is locked to the adjustment step portion 240A of the mounting frame 240 as an urging spring portion that can adjust the urging force in three steps. The
In the comb-shaped adjustment step portion 240A of the mounting frame 240, for example, the fixing bar 241 is locked at the upper stage, and the fixing bar 241 is locked at the middle stage, and the fixing bar 241 is locked at the middle stage, soft tennis ball, and the fixing bar 241 at the lower stage. Can be adjusted for each ball having different weight, material, etc., such as soft (for example, urethane balls).
In addition, since the biasing spring 24 can be adjusted, the flight distance and speed of the ball can be changed in accordance with the use and usage of the toss machine.

  By changing the spring strength of one of the left and right springs of the biasing spring 24 composed of two springs, it is possible to change the direction in which the ball is launched. Can be used.

The cam 25 is rotated counterclockwise, for example. The position of the cam 25 shown in FIG. 3 is set to a rotation angle of 0 °, and the displacement of the stopper 234 that contacts the cam 25 at that time is minimized (hereinafter referred to as the cam 25). On the other hand, the displacement of the stopper 234 is maximized immediately before the rotation angle of the cam 25 is approximately 360 ° (hereinafter referred to as the final state).
The launch plate 23 is urged by the urging spring 24 with a minimum and maximum displacement width to strike the ball.
In addition, you may comprise so that one ball may be launched by rotation of the said cam 180 degrees, The structure is arbitrary,

  The gear 26 includes large and small gears 260 and 261 (see FIG. 4) that mesh with each other. The large gear 260 is fixed to one end of the rotating shaft 250, and the small gear 261 is the rotating shaft of the speed reducer 27. It is fixed to.

  The motor 28 is, for example, a 12 volt DC motor.

  The driving power source of the motor 28 may be a battery other than the battery 29, or may be a fuel cell that can be put to practical use in the future.

The case cover 3 is formed in a substantially cubic shape as shown in FIG. 1, and includes a ball outlet 30 provided on the front surface facing the home base, and a hole 31 provided on the upper surface so that the adjustment step portion 240 </ b> A faces. , And provided with a hole 32 through which a ball enters and an ear piece 33 attached to the outside of the hole 32.
The hole 32 is provided at a position where the ball receiver 232 of the launch plate 23 faces in the initial state.
The ear piece 33 may be attached perpendicularly to the side surface of the case cover 3, but may be attached obliquely so as to be away from the home base except for the side surface. In this case, the ball entering the inside of the case cover 3 from the stocker 4 can be smoothly fed into the inside.
Each ridge line of the case cover 3 is formed in a round shape to prevent an unexpected accident caused by a collision with a ball or a collision with a player.

As shown in FIG. 1, the stocker 4 includes four vertical line members 40 to 43 and a substantially U-shaped support line member 44 that fixes the vertical line members 40 to 43 at a predetermined interval.
In this stocker 4, as shown in FIG. 5, since the ball B contacts so as to be sandwiched between the vertical line members 41 and 42, the contact area with the ball B can be reduced and it is hardly affected by the hardness and size of the ball. It is like that.
The stocker 4 is detachably attached to the hole 32 from its starting end so as to surround each side surface of the case cover 3 and by a fitting (not shown).

Next, a configuration example of the automatic sphere supply device 5 will be described with reference to FIG.
The automatic ball supply device 5 includes a pin 50 fixed to an outer edge of the large gear 260, engagement rods 51 and 52 that engage with the pin 50 within a range of a predetermined rotation angle of the large gear 260, and When the engaging rods 51 and 52 are engaged with the pin 50, the regulating rod 53 for regulating the ball B ′ of the next hit ball, and the bases of these engaging rods 51 and 52 and the regulating rod 53. Each of the ends includes a fixing portion 54 that is rotatably attached to the bearing plate 200, and a ball receiving plate 55 (see FIG. 2) that receives the ball flowing from the hole 32 of the case cover 3. .
The fixing portion 54 is attached so that the restriction rod 53 can rotate in the space between the hole 32 and the attachment plate 220.

Next, an operation example of the toss machine 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 (A) to 6 (D).
FIG. 6A illustrates a state where the cam 25 starts rotating from the initial state, and the stopper 234 that contacts the cam 25 is not displaced. Further, the energy of the urging spring 24 is released, and a state immediately after the ball B is hit by the hitting plate 23 is shown.
In this state, the pin 50 of the large gear 260 is engaged with the engagement rod 51, and the restriction rod 53 restricts the ball B 'to be hit next.

From this state, when the rotational force of the motor 28 is transmitted to the speed reducer 27, the small gear 261, and the large gear 260, the pin 50 rotates as shown in FIG. The engagement is released, and the engagement rods 51 and 52 and the regulation rod 53 are integrally rotated around the fixed portion 54 and rotate downward.
At this time, there is no change in the amount of displacement of the stopper 234 that contacts the cam 25, and there is no change in the position of the launch plate 23.
As a result, the ball B ′ of the next hit ball is placed on the ball receiver 232 of the hitting plate 23 by its own weight.

Further, when the rotational force of the motor 28 is transmitted to the large gear 260, the pin 50 starts to engage with the engagement rod 51 as shown in FIG. The combination rods 51 and 52 and the regulation rod 53 are integrally rotated.
At the same time, the rotational force of the motor 28 is transmitted to the rotary shaft 250, the displacement of the stopper 234 is increased by the cam 25, the position of the launch plate 23 is changed, and the attachment Accumulation of the urging force of the urging spring 24 is started.
As a result, the restriction rod 53 interrupts between the next hit ball B ′ and the next hit ball B ″, and starts to restrict the inflow of the ball B ″ to the ball receiver 232.

Subsequently, when the rotational force of the motor 28 is transmitted to the large gear 260, the pin 50 is guided to the engagement rods 51 and 52 as shown in FIG. 52 and the regulating rod 53 rotate together.
Further, the displacement amount of the stopper 234 further increases, and the accumulated amount of the urging force of the urging spring 24 approaches the maximum.
Then, the next hit ball B ″ is regulated by the regulation bar 53, and the next ball B ′ is ready for launch, and the final state is entered and the launch plate 23 performs the launch operation.
Thereafter, the process returns to the initial state, and one cycle of the operation of the tossum machine 1 is completed.

Finally, a configuration example of a remote control (remote control) will be described with regard to on / off of the motor 28 that drives the cam 25.
As shown in FIG. 7A, mats 7 are laid on both sides of the home base, and an infrared transmitter 60, for example, is incorporated near the toss machine 1 of the mat 7, and a pressure sensor 70 is incorporated in the mat 7. Based on the electrical signal detected by the sensor 70, the infrared transmitter 60 is operated. On the other hand, an antenna (infrared sensor) 61 is attached to the toss machine 1, and an energizing switch for turning on the motor 28 when the infrared sensor 61 detects infrared rays from the infrared transmitter 60 is provided.
The drive timing of the cam 25 is arbitrary. For example, as long as the infrared transmitter 60 detects the electrical signal of the pressure sensor 70, that is, while the batter is at bat, the infrared ray is transmitted every predetermined time. Subsequently, the motor 28 may be energized for each signal, and the cam 25 may be rotated once to toss each ball.
Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, an infrared transmitter 60 is incorporated in the grip end of the bat 8, and a switch 70 of the infrared transmitter 60 is provided on the grip. Each time the batter presses the switch 70, the infrared transmitter 60 A signal may be transmitted, and the infrared sensor 61 may receive the signal and toss each ball.
Further, as shown in FIG. 7C, an infrared transmitter 60 is incorporated in the mask 9 of the catcher, and a switch 70 of the infrared transmitter 60 is also provided in the mask 9, and each time the catcher presses the switch 70, the infrared transmitter 60 A signal may be transmitted, which may be received by the infrared sensor 61 and tossed for each ball.
In addition, a judge such as Toss baseball may have an infrared transmitter 60 to transmit infrared rays and toss each ball.
Further, a remote control device using weak radio waves other than infrared rays or specific low power radio may be used.

According to the toss machine 1 configured as described above, when a game device such as toss baseball is used, a ball that is easy to hit is hit by a child who becomes a batter, so that it can be surely applied to a bat, while a child who is defensive. We can enjoy the baseball game. Especially for children who have little baseball experience, the ball has a constant flight curve, making it a toss machine that is easy to hit.
Moreover, it can be used not only as a toss baseball but also as a device for practicing batting of children and adults.
Furthermore, it can be used when an instructor who teaches baseball teaches patting.

  The toss machine 1 configured as described above has a height of about 400 millimeters, and the wide bottom plate 20 and the like have a low center of gravity and are easy to avoid a collision with a hit ball and a fall by a wind. Moreover, the weight is about 2 kilograms, and the toss machine 1 is compact and easy to carry.

The perspective view of the toss machine concerning embodiment, A perspective view of the main body with the case cover of the toss machine removed. Side view of the body, Front view of the main body, Cross-sectional view of the stocker of the toss machine, (A)-(D) Operation explanatory diagram of the toss machine, (A)-(C) The structural example figure of the remote control of the same toss machine.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tossum machine 2 Main body 3 Case cover 4 Stocker 5 Automatic ball feeder 20 Bottom plate 21 Adjustment plate 22 Ball guide 200 Bearing plate 23 Launch plate 24 Energizing spring 25 Cam 26 Gear 27 Reducer 28 Motor 29 Battery 201 Notch 210 Shaft plate 211 Arm Material 212 Screw 213 Spring, rubber 220 Mounting plate 221 Curved plate 222 Guide piece 230 Axis (fulcrum) 250 Rotating shaft 231 Handle 232 Ball receiver 233 Mounting arm 234 Stopper 240 Mounting frame 233 Mounting arm 241 Fixing bar 240A Adjustment steps 260, 261 Large and small gear 30 Ball outlet 31 Hole 32 Hole 33 Ear piece 40 to 43 Vertical line member 44 Support line member 50 Pin 51, 52 Engagement bar 53 Restriction bar 54 Fixing part 55 Ball receiving plate 7 Mat 60 Infrared transmitter 70 Pressure sensor (switch) 61 Infrared sensor 8 Butt 9 Mask

Claims (4)

In a toss machine provided with a launch plate for tossing a ball by rotating according to the rotation of the cam, and a biasing spring portion for biasing the rotation of the launch plate in the toss direction,
The urging spring portion includes two springs, a fixing bar to which one end of each spring is attached, and an adjustment step portion that can adjust the position of the fixing bar.
The striking plate is fixed so as to intersect the longitudinal direction of the handle, and a left and right of the handle in the longitudinal direction of the handle from the fixed bar, a ball receiver that receives the ball, and a ball receiver that receives the ball. A mounting arm for attaching the other end of each of the springs arranged substantially in parallel, and a stopper that follows the rotation of the cam and stops the rotation of the launch plate biased by the spring. Characteristic toss machine.   The toss machine according to claim 1, wherein the stocker for supplying a ball toward the ball receiver of the launch plate is composed of at least four wire members.   After the ball is hit by the hitting plate, the ball for the next hitting ball is supplied to the ball receiver, and the supply of the ball for the next hitting ball to the ball receiver is stopped while the hitting plate is rotating. The toss machine according to claim 1, further comprising an automatic sphere supply device.   The toss machine of Claim 1 in which the remote control of the motor which drives the said cam is possible.

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